This report from @davidakaye -- his last as UN Special Rapporteur -- on free speech during Covid is a fitting capstone to a tenure marked by tireless advocacy for freedom of expression w/ sensitivity to context 1/

https://freedex.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/2015/files/2020/04/A_HRC_44_49_AdvanceEditedVersion.pdf

It's a call to respect the requirements of human rights law -- legality, necessity, proportionality of restrictions -- because, and not in spite, of the pandemic 2/

And raises concerns about blunt efforts to deal with "disinformation" 3/

Many of us focus on the role of platforms in dealing with disinformation (guilty!), but the report reminds us of the importance of beginning with the role of government 4/

While also emphasizing the enormous impact of tech platforms elevating reliable info and removing info that could lead to health risks.

Importantly, the report calls for platforms to monitor their impact on human rights and ensure they end their 'emergency' measures asap 5/

The report implies that removing events that breach public health guidelines could meet human rights obligations, as long as it is done in a viewpoint neutral manner -- and calls for "maximum transparency" on policies (oh boy, we are so far from that) 6/

There's a lot more in there -- that's just the stuff on my beat. But it's an incredibly compassionate report (see below), and a good reminder of why we all owe David a big vote of thanks for his service. /fin