Google, Facebook and Amazon turn blind eye to anti-gay disinformation – Open Democracy
In Kenya, the search term ‘gay cure therapy’ in Swahili brought up a Wikipedia page that compares homosexuality to gluttony and child rape, urging: “Think before you act.”
In Colombia, a Spanish YouTube search for ‘unwanted same-sex attraction’ led to content from US-based anti-LGBTIQ groups including Family Watch International (FWI), a known proponent of ‘conversion therapy’. FWI has repeatedly attacked the LGBTIQ community, claiming that members are “significantly more likely to engage in pedophilia” and abuse drugs.
English and Swahili are both official languages in Kenya, with the latter spoken by more than 70 million people in East and Central African countries. English-language search results for Kenyan users were markedly different – better regulated and more authoritative – compared with results in Swahili, the researchers said.
“When it comes to conversion therapy online, it’s as though the two languages are from two different universes,” said Via.
GPAHE’s findings about Spanish-language information in Colombia present a worrying trend of US anti-LGBTIQ groups spreading hate and disinformation beyond their home country. Putting the term ‘ex gay therapy’ into Microsoft search engine Bing led users to the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity, a US group that promotes ‘natural law’ and supports ‘therapy’ for homosexuality.
Of the non-English languages investigated by GPAHE, only German produced “surprisingly good” search results. The researchers believe this is a result of Germany’s recent ban on ‘conversion therapy’ for minors and its law against online hate speech.
An openDemocracy investigation last year revealed that therapists backed by US Christian conservative groups were attempting to ‘cure’ LGBTQ people in the US, Costa Rica and Guatemala – despite local bans and professional regulations against doing so. Our undercover reporters found these therapists on the groups’ online platforms.
Wikipedia: reviewing its policies
The Wikimedia Foundation, which hosts the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, was the only company to respond to openDemocracy’s enquiries about GPAHE’s reports. Wikipedia, which is volunteer-driven, relies on communities in different regions to set and enforce their own policies.
Swahili Wikipedia, which has 38 editors, has not set any policies about hate speech or ‘conversion therapy’, the Wikimedia Foundation admitted.
English Wikipedia, however, has a ‘neutral point of view policy’ and “has been working on a hate speech-related policy,” said the foundation – though it did not say when the draft proposal might be implemented.
The Wikimedia Foundation is reportedly working on enforcement guidelines for a universal code of conduct, introduced last year, which prohibits harassment based on personal characteristics such as gender identity and sexual orientation. The foundation will also be “reviewing the [GPAHE] report with an aim of assisting the Swahili Wikipedia Community to address the gaps”.
“We hope these reports help tech companies clean up their platforms when it comes to anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy material,” said Beirich from GPAHE. “Getting rid of this harmful material online is an important step toward creating a society where LGBTQ+ people are accepted and loved, and nobody feels like they want or need to change who they are. That’s the overall goal.”
As a result of GPAHE’s research, YouTube terminated an account belonging to the Reintegrative Therapy Association (RTA) – one of the alleged ‘conversion therapy’ providers mapped in the reports. RTA says it does not sanction ‘conversion therapy’, but claims that people’s sexual attraction may be changed as a result of its trauma therapy.
GPAHE’s first report, ‘Conversion Therapy Online: The Ecosystem’, looks at disinformation online, especially in languages other than English. The second report, ‘Conversion Therapy Online: The Players’, profiles 25 providers of ‘conversion therapy’ around the world.