Ashraf AboArafe
The second meeting of the Arab negotiating team with international media companies was held yesterday in the capital, Riyadh, headed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and with the membership of media experts from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Tunisia, the Republic of Iraq, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Morocco, and the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Information Ministers. And the Arab States Broadcasting Union.
The team discussed the executive plan for negotiating with international media companies, setting a time frame for its implementation, and formulating the strategic direction with the most important international players in the field of media.
The members agreed on a mechanism to urge companies to use age classification in digital content platforms, digital advertising, social media platforms, and search engines, by establishing a regulatory framework for media content, to confront content that promotes discrimination and racism, violates the privacy of individuals, or insults the history or civilization of any country. Arabic.
These recommendations aim to enhance Arabic content, defend Arab and Islamic issues against negative propaganda, protect children and adolescents from harmful content, confront hate speech, fake news, and attacks on privacy, in addition to preserving the media’s right in the advertising market.
Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Media and Communication Sector of the League of Arab States, Ambassador Ahmed Rashid Khattabi, said that this strategic direction embodies a clear collective will to confidently engage in the knowledge and communication society, protect Arab digital interests, and combat the rhetoric of terrorism, hatred, and discrimination in order to preserve our values.
It is noteworthy that this meeting comes in implementation of the decision of the 53rd session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers in Rabat, regarding the formation of a team to negotiate with international media companies, which includes competencies with legal experience and expertise in the digital and communications field, to study all regulatory aspects related to dealing with international media companies, according to an Arab vision. A cohesive plan based on the axes of the executive procedures of the unified Arab strategy.
