On October 6 and 7, Arcom will hold a conference in Paris of the presidents of the member authorities of REFRAM, the French-speaking network of media regulators, to discuss the regulation of online platforms.

The introduction of appropriate regulation for online platforms, to ensure respect for citizens' rights and freedoms, is a major concern for many governments today. To meet the challenges and risks posed by the manipulation of information and online hate, new regulatory models are being put in place, such as the recent Digital ServicesAct in the European Union.

It's against this backdrop that Arcom is bringing together members of the Réseau francophone des régulateurs de médias (REFRAM) at UNESCO on October 6 and 7, to discuss the challenges of regulating online platforms and the responses required at the level of major regional groupings and individual countries.

The opening session will feature contributions from Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, and Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market. Organized into thematic sessions, the discussions of REFRAM members will take place, in part, with researchers as well as with representatives of Meta, Twitter and Google.

During the conference, Roch-Olivier Maistre, President of Arcom, will assume the presidency of REFRAM for two years.

Conference program

Excluding the network's internal statutory session and subject to change

Thursday, October 6th

10:00 am: Opening session

• Welcome address by Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO
• Speech by Mr. Roch-Olivier Maistre, Chairman of the French regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication (Arcom), Vice-Chairman of the French-speaking Network of Media Regulators (REFRAM)
• Speech by Mr Nouri Lajmi, President of the Independent High Authority for Audiovisual Communication in Tunisia (HAICA), President of REFRAM
• Speech by Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of La Francophonie, or her representative

11.15am: Special address by Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market

11:45 a.m.: Thematic session 1: Major challenges
This session will enable key speakers to set the scene under the provisions of the debate, and to highlight the major challenges raised by online content platforms in terms of sovereignty and the protection of fundamental rights. It will be moderated by Roch-Olivier Maistre, President of Arcom.

• Gilles Babinet, Co-Chairman of the Conseil National du Numérique (National Digital Council)
• Mr Fabrice Fries, Chairman and CEO of Agence France-Presse
• Ms Célia Zolynski, University Professor at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Questions and answers

2:30 pm: Thematic session 2: Network experiences
This session will provide an opportunity to present the thinking and work of other networks of regulators, in particular the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA), the Platform of Audiovisual Regulators from UEMOA and Guinea (PRUEMOA), and the Network of African Communication Regulatory Authorities (RIARC). It will be chaired by René Bourgoin, President of the Côte d'Ivoire High Authority for Audiovisual Communication.

• Mrs. Latifa Akharbach, President of the Moroccan High Authority for Audiovisual Communication, President of RIARC: reflections and work of the network.
• Mr. Babacar Diagne, President of the Conseil national de régulation de l'audiovisuel du Sénégal, President of PRUEMOA: update on the network's reflections and work.
• Karim Ibourki, President of the French Superior Audiovisual Council of Belgium, President of ERGA: update on the network's reflections and work.

Questions and answers

4:00 pm: Thematic session 3: Country experiences

This session will provide an opportunity to present the developments (or planned developments) in the legislative framework for regulation, or the new tools put in place to regulate online content platforms in the countries concerned. A round-table discussion will follow the presentations.It will be chaired by Mr. Babacar Diagne, President of Senegal's Conseil national de régulation de l'audiovisuel.

• Ms Alicia Barin, Acting Vice-President, Radio Broadcasting, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC): presentation of Canadian legislative initiatives.
• Mr. Roch-Olivier Maistre, President of Arcom: presentation of Arcom's new missions.
• Mr. Tobias Schmid, Director of the North Rhine-Westphalia Media Authority, Commissioner for European Affairs at the Conference of Directors of German Media Authorities (DLM): presentation of an artificial intelligence-based online content analysis tool.

Q&A and tour de table of country experiences

Friday, October 7th

10:00 am: Thematic session 4: Dialogue with platforms

This session will feature contributions from representatives of major digital platforms on online content regulation, as well as a dialogue with REFRAM members. It will be moderated by Mr. Benoît Loutrel, member of the Collège de l'Arcom, chairman of the working group on supervision of online platforms. Discussions will focus in particular on the DSA, on the one hand because it will find application in EU countries, and on the other because the solutions it provides address issues shared by all states.

• Mr. Henri Verdier, Ambassador for Digital Technologies
• Anton'Maria Battesti, Director of Public Affairs, Meta France
• Claire Dilé, Public Affairs Director, Twitter France
• Mr. Benoît Tabaka, Public Affairs Director, Google France

Questions and answers

About Arcom :

Arcom is an independent public authority that guarantees freedom of communication. Its mission is to ensure that the public has access to a plurality of audio and video supplies that respect rights and freedoms, to defend creativity and to contribute to the fight agains unlawful and problematic content on the Internet.

About REFRAM:

The French-speaking Network of Media Regulators (REFRAM) was created in Ouagadougou on July 1, 2007. It comprises 30 members from Europe, Africa and North America. REFRAM's mission is to work towards consolidating the rule of law, democracy and human rights. In application of its statutes, REFRAM aims to establish and strengthen solidarity and exchanges between its members. It provides a forum for debate and exchange of information on issues of common interest, and contributes to training and cooperation efforts among its members.