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Protecting your Human Rights in the Digital Age

Technology and Human Rights
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New Principles for the Digital World 

Technology has become integral to the lives of many, but over the past three decades it has not been well-regulated. Personal data and user privacy is not sufficiently protected by legislation, artificial intelligence has evaded regulation for too long, human rights need to be better protected online and discriminatory and misleading content has been allowed to proliferate. 

More must be done to ensure that the Global Digital Compact provides all people with access to an open, free and secure digital space.

Our Submission

The Commission is pleased to announce our submission Human Rights in the Digital Age has now been provided to the United Nations' Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology. This submission will help inform the drafting of the United Nations' Global Digital Compact at the Summit of the Future in September 2024.

This submission was informed by consultations with relevant experts in technology, business and human rights spaces. Across two consultation sessions 37 participants engaged with how we can ensure an open, free and secure digital space for all. A further 7 stakeholders provided written submissions. 

Our Recommendations 

The Commission made a substantive submission which included 18 recommendations. To protect the human right in the digital age the Commission recommendations addressed:

  • Protecting privacy and data.
  • Promoting the regulation of artificia.
  • Applying human rights online.
  • Introducing accountability criteria for discriminatory and misleading content.

The Australian Human Rights Commission made its submission to the United Nations' Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology on 30 April 2023 in response to the call for input on the Global Digital Compact.