Explore 4 highlights of the Commission's work over the last 40 years in relation to advancing and protecting the rights of people in Australia when they use or are affected by technology.
For a lot of our history, the Commission has been at the forefront of shaping how human rights are understood, protected and promoted in an increasingly technological world. From the earliest debates about privacy and telecommunications to the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, automated decision-making, digital surveillance and online safety, we've worked to ensure that technological progress strengthens, rather than diminishes, the rights and freedoms of people in Australia. Through advocacy, research, policy development and public engagement, we've helped navigate the complex relationship between innovation and human dignity.
The Commission is proud to lead the way in responding to new opportunities and risks, as well as championing fairness equality, privacy, accessibility and accountability in the digital age. We also acknowledge, honour and celebrate the vital work of the many technology and human rights advocates over this time who have also contributed to positive reforms.
Here are 4 key ways the Commission has helped improve how technology operates in Australia:
Ensuring Australia’s tech future is ethical and safe
In 2021, the Commission released a groundbreaking report about the intersection of human rights with technology. Our Human Rights and Technology Final Report (2021) established a clear foundation for Australia’s approach to AI and emerging technologies. By setting out practical reforms and a forward-looking vision, the report has had lasting influence, shaping how governments, regulators and industry understand the role of human rights in the digital age.
Read the story and watch the video (see below). The video features former AHRC Human Rights Commissioner Ed Santow and was produced in 2021 to promote the launch of the report.
In 2021, the Australian Human Rights Commission released our landmark Human Rights and Technology Final Report, setting out one of the first national visions for how Australia should respond to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
The report recognised that technologies like AI are reshaping society in profound ways - creating new opportunities, while also introducing risks for privacy, fairness and accountability. Rather than treating these challenges as purely technical, the Commission framed them as fundamental human rights issues, placing rights at the centre of how new technologies should be developed and governed.
At the heart of the report was a clear roadmap for action. It called for a national strategy on emerging technologies that embeds human rights principles from the outset, alongside stronger safeguards for how AI is used in decision-making across government and the private sector. The Commission also identified critical risks (e.g. algorithmic bias, intrusive biometric surveillance and opaque “black box” systems) and proposed practical reforms to ensure transparency and the right to challenge automated decisions.
A defining contribution of the report was its recommendation to establish an independent AI Safety Commissioner. This body would provide expert guidance and help ensure that innovation occurs within clear ethical and legal boundaries. This recommendation has since shaped national policy discussions and contributed to the creation of a new AI Safety Institute.
Through this work, the Commission established a clear foundation for Australia’s approach to AI and emerging technologies. It showed that innovation and human rights are not competing goals, but interconnected priorities. By setting out practical reforms and a forward-looking vision, the report has had lasting influence, shaping how governments, regulators and industry understand the role of human rights in the digital age.
Setting the human rights agenda for neurotechnology
In 2005, we released a world-first report about aligning human rights with the burgeoning neurotech industry. Peace of Mind: Navigating the Ethical Frontiers of Neurotechnology and Human Rights placed Australia at the forefront of global conversations on neurotechnology. It showed how human rights frameworks can guide the development of emerging technologies, ensuring that innovation improves people’s lives without compromising dignity or control over the human mind. Read the story below.
As neurotechnology moves from research labs into everyday life, the Australian Human Rights Commission has taken a leading role in identifying what it means for human rights.
In 2025, the Commission released Peace of Mind: Navigating the Ethical Frontiers of Neurotechnology and Human Rights, the first national human rights institution report globally to focus on this emerging field. The report examined technologies that can monitor, interpret or influence brain activity, from devices that restore speech and mobility to systems that may one day decode thoughts or shape behaviour.
The report highlighted both the promise and the risks of these technologies. Neurotechnology has the potential to improve lives, particularly for people with disability, by enabling communication and independence. At the same time, it raises profound questions about privacy, autonomy and freedom of thought, as neural data becomes accessible in ways that were previously impossible.
The report set out recommendations, including stronger privacy safeguards, limits on harmful uses such as neuromarketing and new oversight mechanisms to ensure safety and accountability.
This work places Australia at the forefront of global conversations on neurotechnology. It shows how human rights frameworks can guide the development of emerging technologies, ensuring that innovation improves people’s lives without compromising dignity or control over the human mind.
For decades, the Commission has helped lead the way in relation to making technology universally accessible. 2014, we released Australia's first ever accessibility standards for the internet. Our World Wide Web Access: Disability Discrimination Act Advisory Note helped advance the principle that people with disability must be able to access digital services on equal terms. Read the story below.
Access to digital services has become essential to daily life. The Australian Human Rights Commission has played an important role in ensuring that people with disability are not excluded.
In 2014, the Commission released its World Wide Web Access: Disability Discrimination Act Advisory Note. This guidance made clear that website accessibility is required under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. It set expectations for organisations and supported improvements across many sectors.
Since then, technology has changed significantly. People now rely on a wide range of digital services, including apps and online platforms. The Commission’s updated Guidelines on equal access to digital goods and services respond to this shift by covering a broader range of technologies.
This work reflects the growing importance of digital participation. Many essential services are now delivered online, and access to these services affects day-to-day life.
The Commission has contributed to embedding accessibility into how digital systems are developed. It has promoted the need to consider accessibility from the beginning of the design process.
While technologies continue to develop, the underlying principle remains consistent: people with disability must be able to access digital services on equal terms.
In 2025, the Commission produced updated guidelines which build on the previous versions of the Commission's Advisory Note to reflect changes in technology, its role within society, as well as national and international standards and policies that define how technology provides equal access for people with disability.
Over the last 4 decades, the Commission has worked to protect the rights of children in many in contexts. Following the digital revolution of the 1990s, protecting the rights of children in digital spaces became a specific focus. By maintaining this focus over time, the Commission has helped shape Australia’s response to children’s privacy in the digital environment. Read the story below.
Children are growing up in a highly connected environment. The Australian Human Rights Commission has highlighted the need for stronger protections to address the risks this creates.
Over the past half-decade, the Commission has called for a Children’s Online Privacy Code. It has raised concerns about the collection and use of children’s data, including targeted advertising that influences behaviour.
Through public advocacy and submissions, the Commission has worked to ensure that children’s rights are reflected in privacy law reform. A central focus has been the principle that the best interests of the child must guide decision-making.
The Commission has contributed to the development of policy settings, including clearer expectations around how children’s data is handled. It has also supported a broad approach that applies to services likely to be accessed by children, recognising that young people use a wide range of digital platforms.
This work reflects an understanding that privacy supports children’s development and independence. It is not limited to data protection alone.
By maintaining this focus over time, the Commission has helped shape Australia’s response to children’s privacy in the digital environment.
Share this page
Cookie policy
This site uses cookies to analyse traffic, remember your preferences, and optimise your experience. We use some essential cookies to make this service work. We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements. For more information see our Privacy Policy.
Need help?
Have a question about discrimination or sexual harassment? Want to know more about human rights? Contact us if you need help.
