By: Staff Writer
July 7, 2026
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in a new report examining Digital Platform Governance in Central America and the Caribbean, said that governments should move away from punitive surveillance models of digital governance.
The report, Digital Platform Regulation in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean: From Diagnosis to a Roadmap for Action, was in collaboration with a coalition of global and regional partners and serves as a critical milestone in the project Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Access to Information through the Implementation of the UNESCO Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms.
The report said: “The region of Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean is at a crossroads. To realize the vision of a ‘trustworthy internet’ promoted by UNESCO, governments must move away from punitive and surveillance-based models and embrace systemic, multi-stakeholder governance.
“This requires granting regulators true independence, modernizing electoral laws, promoting digital literacy to break down information bubbles, and act as a united region that demands platforms adapt their technologies to respect the dignity and human rights of their populations. That said, our research allowed us to identify a series of key areas where civil society and regulators found consensus and on which work can be done.”
“This report marks a turning point for digital governance in Central America and the Caribbean,” said Rodrigo Cetina Presuel, Associate Dean for Education and Academic Affairs at UPF-BSM and Project Lead and one of the I4T Global Knowledge Network’s co-Chairs. “Our findings highlight that most states in the region face a near-vacuum when it comes to digital platform governance. Small markets cannot hold Big Tech accountable in isolation. The ultimate recommendation of this report is a call to action—these nations must forge a unified regional bloc to successfully demand algorithmic transparency, linguistic and cultural inclusion, and a safe, human rights-respecting digital ecosystem.”
The report also said: “The region shares a valuable constitutional heritage that dogmatically protects freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to privacy. However, in practice, the effectiveness of these guarantees is undermined by political and infrastructure barriers, as well as violence.
“The region is clearly lagging behind technology corporations. Except for sector-specific approaches in Mexico (copyright) and Panama (ecommerce), countries lack modern laws that define the role of digital platforms and establish a safe harbor regime. This gap forces states to improvise using consumer protection laws or high-tech criminal codes, resulting in a punitive approach toward end users, rather than imposing obligations of due diligence, algorithmic transparency, and appeal mechanisms (due process) on the platforms themselves.”