Summary of A pathway forward for digital rights - Access Now

  • accessnow.org
  • Article
  • Summarized Content

    Here are the suggested Meta Title, Meta Description, and detailed Summary for the given text:

    Introduction

    This blog post is a reflection by Brett Solomon, the co-founder and former Executive Director of Access Now, on his 15 years of experience in the digital rights movement. He shares his observations and learnings on the evolving fight to defend and extend human rights in the digital age, particularly for people and communities most at risk.

    The Evolving Digital Rights Landscape

    • The digital revolution is just beginning, and threats to human rights will become more entrenched if not addressed quickly.
    • Digital policies will significantly impact the future of human rights, making it crucial to shape technology policy with a human rights lens.
    • The rise of digital authoritarianism must be collectively fought, as democratic backsliding threatens digital civic space.
    • Rights are quickly lost but challenging to recover, as seen in countries like Tunisia.

    Sustaining the Digital Rights Movement

    • Center the perspectives and needs of those most at risk to benefit everyone.
    • Build stronger ties across sectors and movements to increase collective impact.
    • Invest in civil society's digital security, resilience, and funding to protect human rights defenders.
    • Form unusual alliances to advance digital rights protections, even within civil society or with companies.
    • Prioritize outcomes over outputs and resist self-censorship while ensuring community safety.

    Pressing Threats to Digital Rights

    • Data protection is crucial, as personal data protection is a human right.
    • Ban biometric surveillance in public spaces and outlaw commercial spyware.
    • Prevent the "splinternet" and maintain an open, secure, and universal internet.
    • Address the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing on cybersecurity and human rights.
    • Protect free expression online while aligning content governance with human rights principles.
    • Ensure digital safety in conflict-affected areas and establish "digital ceasefires."
    • Address the climate crisis and protect environmental defenders' digital rights.

    Engaging with Stakeholders

    • Governments:
      • Advance digital rights at home before advocating abroad.
      • Understand technologies they aim to regulate.
      • Use the power of courts to hold governments accountable.
    • International Organizations:
      • The UN should focus on implementing existing initiatives and center grassroots perspectives.
      • The UN Security Council should address cybersecurity's role in international peace and security.
      • Engage with standard-setting bodies to ensure rights-respecting technology development.
    • Private Sector:
      • Follow the money and leverage investor influence to hold companies accountable.
      • Push companies to provide consistent human rights protections across regions.
      • Encourage companies to hold each other accountable on issues like spyware.
      • Engage engineers and tool builders, not just policy teams, to bridge the gap between technologists and human rights.

    Conclusion

    Solomon emphasizes the importance of sustaining the digital rights movement, centering those most at risk, and engaging across sectors and stakeholders to shape the digital revolution in a rights-respecting manner. He encourages the new generation of activists to build upon the progress made so far and continue the fight for digital rights.

    Discover content by category

    Ask anything...

    Sign Up Free to ask questions about anything you want to learn.