Manuscript Number : SHISRRJ236157

Ensuring Ethical and Safe Digital Spaces: Conceptualizing AI and Machine Learning-Based Solutions for Media Content Moderation and Regulation

Authors(3) :-Chigozie Emmanuel Benson, Chinelo Harriet Okolo, Olatunji Oke

The rapid expansion of digital platforms has brought unprecedented opportunities for global connectivity but has also amplified the prevalence of harmful content, including misinformation, hate speech, and other unethical online behaviors. This paper explores the critical role of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in ensuring ethical and safe digital spaces through advanced media content moderation. It begins by defining ethical principles such as transparency, fairness, and inclusivity, which form the foundation for effective moderation practices. The capabilities of AI-driven systems in identifying, classifying, and filtering harmful content are discussed alongside their limitations, including biases and challenges in scalability. Regulatory and policy considerations are also examined, including frameworks for stakeholder collaboration, safeguarding privacy, and adherence to international standards. Finally, recommendations are provided to enhance the deployment of responsible AI systems, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration, algorithmic improvement, and global policy alignment. This paper argues that the integration of ethical principles, technological advancements, and collaborative governance is essential for creating safe, inclusive, and equitable digital environments.

Authors and Affiliations

Chigozie Emmanuel Benson
Aljazeera Media Network - Doha, Qatar
Chinelo Harriet Okolo
First Security Discount House (FSDH), Marina, Lagos State, Nigeria
Olatunji Oke
Lagos Indicator Magazine, Lagos, Nigeria

Ethical Content Moderation, Artificial Intelligence in Media Regulation, Digital Governance, Privacy and User Rights

  1. Al-Makhadmeh, Z., & Tolba, A. (2020). Automatic hate speech detection using killer natural language processing optimizing ensemble deep learning approach. Computing, 102(2), 501-522.
  2. Aljohani, A. (2023). Predictive analytics and machine learning for real-time supply chain risk mitigation and agility. Sustainability, 15(20), 15088.
  3. Alkomah, F., & Ma, X. (2022). A literature review of textual hate speech detection methods and datasets. Information, 13(6), 273.
  4. Ashwini, S. (2021). Social Media Platform Regulation in India–A Special Reference to The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Perspectives on Platform Regulation, 215-232.
  5. Balbi, G., & Fickers, A. (2020). History of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): Transnational techno-diplomacy from the telegraph to the Internet (Vol. 1): Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
  6. Bauwens, M., Kostakis, V., & Pazaitis, A. (2019). Peer to peer: The commons manifesto: University of Westminster Press.
  7. Bird, C., Ungless, E., & Kasirzadeh, A. (2023). Typology of risks of generative text-to-image models. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2023 AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society.
  8. Brown, I., & Marsden, C. T. (2023). Regulating code: Good governance and better regulation in the information age: MIT Press.
  9. Cerna, L., Mezzanotte, C., Rutigliano, A., Brussino, O., Santiago, P., Borgonovi, F., & Guthrie, C. (2021). Promoting inclusive education for diverse societies: A conceptual framework.
  10. Ferrara, E. (2023). Should chatgpt be biased? challenges and risks of bias in large language models. arXiv preprint arXiv:2304.03738.
  11. Flew, T. (2021). Regulating platforms: John Wiley & Sons.
  12. Frosio, G., & Geiger, C. (2023). Taking fundamental rights seriously in the Digital Services Act's platform liability regime. European Law Journal, 29(1-2), 31-77.
  13. Gongane, V. U., Munot, M. V., & Anuse, A. D. (2022). Detection and moderation of detrimental content on social media platforms: current status and future directions. Social Network Analysis and Mining, 12(1), 129.
  14. Gorwa, R. (2019). The platform governance triangle: Conceptualising the informal regulation of online content. Internet Policy Review, 8(2), 1-22.
  15. Gorwa, R., Binns, R., & Katzenbach, C. (2020). Algorithmic content moderation: Technical and political challenges in the automation of platform governance. Big Data & Society, 7(1), 2053951719897945.
  16. Hai, T. N., Van, Q. N., & Thi Tuyet, M. N. (2021). Digital transformation: Opportunities and challenges for leaders in the emerging countries in response to COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging Science Journal, 5(1), 21-36.
  17. Hamelink, C. J. (2019). The politics of global communication. Global communication: a multicultural perspective, 72.
  18. Hanna, N. (2018). A role for the state in the digital age. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 7(1), 5.
  19. Huda, M. (2019). Empowering application strategy in the technology adoption: insights from professional and ethical engagement. Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, 10(1), 172-192.
  20. Kopalle, P. K., Gangwar, M., Kaplan, A., Ramachandran, D., Reinartz, W., & Rindfleisch, A. (2022). Examining artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in marketing via a global lens: Current trends and future research opportunities. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 39(2), 522-540.
  21. Langvardt, K. (2017). Regulating online content moderation. Geo. LJ, 106, 1353.
  22. Lin, Y. (2018). A comparison of selected Western and Chinese smart governance: The application of ICT in governmental management, participation and collaboration. Telecommunications policy, 42(10), 800-809.
  23. Mullangi, K. (2017). Enhancing Financial Performance through AIdriven Predictive Analytics and Reciprocal Symmetry. Asian Accounting and Auditing Advancement, 8(1), 57–66.
  24. Nahmias, Y., & Perel, M. (2021). The oversight of content moderation by AI: impact assessments and their limitations. Harv. J. on Legis., 58, 145.
  25. Nyanjom, J., Boxall, K., & Slaven, J. (2018). Towards inclusive tourism? Stakeholder collaboration in the development of accessible tourism. Tourism Geographies, 20(4), 675-697.
  26. Obi, P. (2023). Presidential Propaganda and the (Mis) information Sphere: Fake News, Democratic (Dis) Trust and the Unintended Consequences of Lying Platforms in Nigeria. In Mapping Lies in the Global Media Sphere (pp. 24-38): Routledge.
  27. Roberts, S. T. (2019). Behind the screen: Yale University Press.
  28. Royakkers, L., Timmer, J., Kool, L., & Van Est, R. (2018). Societal and ethical issues of digitization. Ethics and Information Technology, 20, 127-142.
  29. Ruggie, J. G. (2020). The social construction of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. In Research handbook on human rights and business (pp. 63-86): Edward Elgar Publishing.
  30. Sander, B. (2019). Freedom of expression in the age of online platforms: The promise and pitfalls of a human rights-based approach to content moderation. Fordham Int'l LJ, 43, 939.
  31. Sharifani, K., Amini, M., Akbari, Y., & Aghajanzadeh Godarzi, J. (2022). Operating machine learning across natural language processing techniques for improvement of fabricated news model. International Journal of Science and Information System Research, 12(9), 20-44.
  32. Suzor, N. P. (2019). Lawless: The secret rules that govern our digital lives: Cambridge University Press.
  33. Waddell, S. (2017). Societal learning and change: How governments, business and civil society are creating solutions to complex multi-stakeholder problems: Routledge.
  34. West, J. K. (2019). An introduction to online platforms and their role in the digital transformation. Available at SSRN 4669281.

Publication Details

Published in : Volume 6 | Issue 4 | July-August 2023
Date of Publication : 2023-08-30
License:  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Page(s) : 135-146
Manuscript Number : SHISRRJ236157
Publisher : Shauryam Research Institute

ISSN : 2581-6306

Cite This Article :

Chigozie Emmanuel Benson, Chinelo Harriet Okolo, Olatunji Oke, "Ensuring Ethical and Safe Digital Spaces: Conceptualizing AI and Machine Learning-Based Solutions for Media Content Moderation and Regulation", Shodhshauryam, International Scientific Refereed Research Journal (SHISRRJ), ISSN : 2581-6306, Volume 6, Issue 4, pp.135-146, July-August.2023
URL : https://shisrrj.com/SHISRRJ236157

Article Preview