Stefania Di Stefano

@stefaniasds.bsky.social

2206 Followers 666 Following

Postdoc researcher in content moderation at CNAM | PhD in Intl Law @gvagrad.bsky.social | Visiting Lecturer @RGSL_LV | Coordinator @ESIL_Tech & @esilearlycareer.bsky.social | she/her Antifascista, sempre

International human rights law in content moderation and the risks of 'misdiagnosing' its limits Stefania Di Stefano *International Law Department, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland; "Postdoctoral researcher, LISE (Cnam/CNRS), Paris, France ABSTRACT International human rights law (IHRL) has emerged as a dominant discursive framework for articulating and addressing issues raised by digital platforms. Despite its potential to offer a global language to articulate and address the questions raised by digital platforms, the THRL project' has its detractors, who argue that this normative framework is inadequate to address the unique challenges that these new actors and technologies pose. Taking content moderation as a framework of analysis, this article critically engages with the criticisms aimed at IHRL in this sphere and questions whether these critiques are diagnosing an inadequacy of IHRL in content moderation. The article argues that the limits of IHRL that have been identified originate from and reflect a traditional approach to international law, and offers an alternative diagnosis: it argues that these 'limits' are in fact symptomatic of instances of change in international law. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 17 November 2024; Accepted 31 July 2025 KEYWORDS International human rights law; content moderation; legal change; digital platforms; business and human rights
“We can no longer pretend the ground is stable. But we cannot fully turn our backs away either. Gathering evidence, making arguments - these remain our bread-and-butter activities. They remain necessary, even if we don't yet know what legal structure, if any, will one day consider them. At the same time, we must absolutely let go of the illusion that legal work today rests on solid footing. It doesn't. We need new tools and new frameworks. The insight is based on a basic realism, not on retreat. If there is a way to confront this moment, and its character of permanent polycrisis, it is in finding a strategic combination between an application of the existing rules and a fundamental reinvention. What animal may fit to illustrate this third orientation? Perhaps this is the octopus: serious but playful, a radically different thinker with decentralised intelligence and a capacity to act as a whole.”
Cover of my PhD thesis Text: Regulating Freedom of Expression in the Age of Social Media: New Actors as Drivers of Change in International Law THESIS submitted at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in fulfilment of the requirements of the PhD degree in International Law by Stefania DI STEFANO Thesis N° 1562 Geneva 2025
Gaia (Cavalier King Charles spaniel, on the left) and Loki (mixed breed, black dog, on the right) sleeping on a yellow armchair
Picture of the Leman Lake from the Moynier Park. Park scene with a grassy area, bare trees, and a view of the lake under a blue sky with clouds. A paved walkway is in the foreground.
Gaia (Blenheim Cavalier King Charles) laying on dog bed and chewing hard cheese, next to wine bottle named Gaia estate
Gaia (Blenheim cavalier King Charles) laying in bed and looking up at the camera
Actor Luca Marinelli interpreting Mussolini and saying “Make Italy Great Again”
Pop up message on email login reading Would you like to remember this browser next time you log in? Select Remember Me to save your identity on this computer. If this computer is shared, select Skip.
Picture of me and my PhD committee at the end of my defence at the Geneva Graduate Institute. From left to right: Professor Andrew Clapham, myself, Professor David Kaye (joining remotely) and Professor Andrea Bianchi
A picture of me standing in front of a mirror with a bag that reads “sta rottura de cojon* dei fascisti” (loosely translated as “this fascist pain in the as*)
The picture depicts French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and Italian President Sergio Mattarella (right). They are standing in front of Notre Dame de Paris and smiling at each other.
Selfie. I’m wearing a black and brown checked coat and sunglasses. On the background, the Salève mountain and a sea of clouds
Photo shows the Italian cover of Elena Ferrante’s book “My Brilliant Friend” (“L’amica geniale”). Next to it, a glimpse of my dog (cavalier King Charles spaniel).
Photo shows 3 crocheted scrunchies on wooden table. The top one is made of white fluffy yarn with some coloured speckles (pink, blue and green) Bottom left is a made of cotton yarn, green centre and light blue contour. Bottom right is made of cotton yarn, hot pink centre and soft pink contour.
Espresso maker with handle melted down
Stefania sitting at a restaurant table outside and drinking negroni