Logo for InfluenceWatch InfluenceWatch

Donate
Other Group

Be Internet Citizens

Website:

internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/
Type:

Censorship Advocacy
Status:

Project of Institute for Strategic Dialogue, and Google
Formation:

2017
Leaders:

Alain “Fusion” Clapham and Efe Ezekiel

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Be Internet Citizens is a program designed to shape online behavior that is designed for children aged 13 to 15 that was founded in partnership with the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and American technology company Google. 1 2

The program consists of a digital curriculum that is advertised to teach the concepts of media literacy, critical thinking, and “digital citizenship” 3 and is delivered in partnership with ISD, Google, YouTube Creators for Change, BeatFreeks, and youth facilitators. 4

Be Internet Citizens’ curriculum includes modules to identify what its organizers identify as “dis- and misinformation.” It also addresses free speech and suggests censorship as a response to the concept of “hate speech.” 5 Children who complete Be Internet Citizens programming receive a certificate from Google and YouTube. 6

History and Leadership

Be Internet Citizens was launched in the United Kingdom in 2017 with a curriculum designed and evaluated by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. In 2018, the program received accreditation and is currently used in schools across the U.K. Be Internet Citizens also offers teachers and youth sector workers training to deliver the curriculum independently. 7 In 2020, ISD launched new curriculum as a part of Be Internet Citizens. 8

Be Internet Citizens is led by Alain “Fusion” Clapham and Efe Ezekiel. 9 Its YouTube programming is co-hosted by Grace Smith 10 and facilitated by Prince Schultz. 11

Activities and Funding

Be Internet Citizens is a program to shape online behavior that is designed for teenagers aged 13 to 15 in partnership with the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), American technology company Google, YouTube Creators for Change, and Beatfreeks. The program consists of a digital curriculum that is advertised to teach the concepts of media literacy, critical thinking, and “digital citizenship.” 12 13 14

Be Internet Citizens’ curriculum consists of five modules that can be taught in both formal and non-formal educational settings and focus on the concept of digital citizenship. Its five modules are Fact vs. Fiction, which is used to identify what its organizers identify as “dis- and misinformation”; Three Sides to Every Story, which covers perceived biases in writing; Us vs. Them, which addresses the critical race theory-influenced concept of unconscious bias; Speaking Up, Speaking Out, which discusses free speech and suggests censorship as a response to the concept of hate speech; and Becoming an Internet Citizen. 15 Individuals who complete Be Internet Citizens programming receive a certificate from Google and YouTube.  16

Since 2017, Be Internet Citizens has reached more than 750 teachers and 70,000 students across the United Kingdom. It has been formally accredited by the U.K.’s Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Association and received praise from the U.K. Government’s Department for Education; Department for Culture, Media and Sport; and Ofcom. It has also engaged 20 cross-party members of Parliament including former U.K. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson and former U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel. 17

Course Content

Be Internet Citizen’s guidance and resources materials define free speech as including “negative or nasty speech” and then defines the term “hate speech” as an “attack on someone else’s identity or belief system.” It also says that someone could disagree with a key principle of a religion and criticize the religion for it, but “unless they verbally attack someone on the basis of their religious beliefs, they are exercising free speech.” 18

In its training materials, Be Internet Citizens also attempts to draw distinctions between legally protected free speech and hate speech. This includes using online tools for internet users to report, flag, and block content that they may consider hate speech. 19 Other materials shared by Beatfreeks, an organization supported by the Google Foundation, that are a part of the Be Internet Citizens campaign claim that “free speech can give people the opportunity to share hate speech.” 20

Be Internet Citizens’ coursework also says young people should be encouraged to think critically but should not be “skeptical about all information.” The coursework recommends its participants use left-of-center fact-checking sites such as FullFact.org, Snopes, PolitiFact, and BBC Reality Check for news consumption. It also recommends that its participants follow sources NBC News, Buzzfeed, the New York Times, BBC, Politico, Wired UK, and Sky News. 21

Be Internet Citizens also incorporates digital workshops to train teachers of courses regarding the concept of digital citizenship. 22

Funding

Be Internet Citizens is supported by the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue and California-based technology company Google. 23 24

References

  1. Josh Phillips, Cooper Gatewood, and Lucie Parker. “Be Internet Legends and Be Internet Citizens: Impact Report.” ISD Global. January 2020. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Be-Internet-Legends-and-Citizens-digital-report.pdf.
  2. “Be Internet Citizens.” YouTube. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/policy/.
  3. “About.” Be Internet Citizens. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/#about.
  4. Josh Phillips, Cooper Gatewood, and Lucie Parker. “Be Internet Legends and Be Internet Citizens: Impact Report.” ISD Global. January 2020. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Be-Internet-Legends-and-Citizens-digital-report.pdf.
  5. “About.” Be Internet Citizens. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/#about.
  6. “Community toolkit.” Be Internet Citizens, Session 4. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/543fd175e4b0e1725503d006/t/5bec3c26aa4a996ecebc1792/1542208577734/community-toolkit+%281%29.pdf.
  7. “About.” Be Internet Citizens. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/#about.
  8. “Be Internet Citizens.” ISD Global. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/be-internet-citizens/.
  9. [1] Josh Phillips, Cooper Gatewood, and Lucie Parker. “Be Internet Legends and Be Internet Citizens: Impact Report.” ISD Global. January 2020. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Be-Internet-Legends-and-Citizens-digital-report.pdf.
  10. [1] “Grace Smith.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-smith-70b609114/.
  11. “Prince Schultz.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/prince-schulz-6387ba9a/.
  12. Josh Phillips, Cooper Gatewood, and Lucie Parker. “Be Internet Legends and Be Internet Citizens: Impact Report.” ISD Global. January 2020. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Be-Internet-Legends-and-Citizens-digital-report.pdf.
  13. “Be Internet Citizens.” YouTube. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/policy/.
  14. “Be Internet Citizens Community Toolkit.” Google and YouTube. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/543fd175e4b0e1725503d006/t/5bec3c26aa4a996ecebc1792/1542208577734/community-toolkit+%281%29.pdf.
  15. “About.” Be Internet Citizens. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/#about.
  16. “Community toolkit.” Be Internet Citizens, Session 4. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/543fd175e4b0e1725503d006/t/5bec3c26aa4a996ecebc1792/1542208577734/community-toolkit+%281%29.pdf.
  17. “Be Internet Citizens.” Institute for Strategic Dialogue. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/be-internet-citizens/.
  18. “Community toolkit.” Be Internet Citizens, Session 4. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/543fd175e4b0e1725503d006/t/5bec3c26aa4a996ecebc1792/1542208577734/community-toolkit+%281%29.pdf.
  19. [1] “Community toolkit.” Be Internet Citizens, Session 4. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/543fd175e4b0e1725503d006/t/5bec3c26aa4a996ecebc1792/1542208577734/community-toolkit+%281%29.pdf.
  20.  “Hate Speech & Free Speech – Be Internet Citizens.” Beatfreeks YouTube Channel. Posted August 28, 2020. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kxxsuih_0c.
  21. “Download Unit of Work.” Download Link to Be Internet Citizens Material. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/downloads/teacher-resources/.
  22.  Josh Phillips, Cooper Gatewood, and Lucie Parker. “Be Internet Legends and Be Internet Citizens: Impact Report.” ISD Global. January 2020. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Be-Internet-Legends-and-Citizens-digital-report.pdf.
  23. Brittin, Matt. “Google’s 25 Million Europe contribution to media literacy.” Google. March 31, 2021. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/googles-25-million-contribution-to-media-literacy/.
  24. Josh Phillips, Cooper Gatewood, and Lucie Parker. “Be Internet Legends and Be Internet Citizens: Impact Report.” ISD Global. January 2020. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Be-Internet-Legends-and-Citizens-digital-report.pdf.
  See an error? Let us know!