This is where the project -
Taxonomy of Rights and Expressions for Freedom of Expression Governance Research (T-REx) - comes in.
In phase 1, a taxonomy of possible expressions of opinion and the filtering practices related to them will first be developed.
In phase 2, the deleted postings are then classified and analysed and compared with a sample of non-deleted postings.
In phase 3, a normative analysis of the findings is carried out. The "types of speech" reflected in the taxonomy include
- manifestly illegal and prohibited by international law (e.g.: terrorism, terrorism promotion, terrorism financing; sexual exploitation of children; qualified hate speech/calls for violence; promotion of genocide);
- illegal under national (criminal) law;
- not illegal but giving rise to civil proceedings;
- not allowed on a platform pursuant to community standards;
- otherwise sensitive
Afterwards, several samples of about 800-1000 postings each are sorted into the different categories of deleted content. This allows reliable statements about the relative frequency of reasons for deletion as well as the ratio of right to 'wrong' motivated decisions or incorrectly deleted postings. This, in turn, can be essential for further research on the governance of expressions of opinion.
