We live in a digital era, and digital rights – closely linked to freedom of expression and privacy – are those that allow people to access, use, create and publish digital media, as well as access and use computers, other electronic devices and communications networks.
There are several approaches to how digital rights can be defined (https://www.apc.org/):
- Digital rights are the exercise of universal human rights in digital spaces.
- Digital rights are the right to express yourself in a safe, private, secure, and sustainable digital space.
- Digital rights are fundamental and inherited human rights that promote inclusion, equality, access to infrastructure, and information. Digital rights ensure control, autonomy, and agency of humans while protecting against the privatization, monopolization, and monetization of humanity.
- Digital rights are fundamental human rights in the digital environment. It is about free speech or expression, association and assembly, access to internet devices, rights and access to information, access to platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, and more), online safe space, security and safety, privacy and data protection, gender-responsiveness and anti-discrimination, and equality.
- Digital rights are a set of universal human rights that ensures everybody – regardless of their gender, age, race, sexuality, and more – has equal access to an open internet that is governed in an inclusive, accountable, and transparent manner to ensure peoples’ fundamental freedoms and rights.
- Digital rights are human rights online which allow access to information and freedom of expression in a safe space that respects privacy and security.
- Digital rights are human rights which are inherent for ICT (information and communications technology) users and non-users. They ensure access to equal rights to information, technology, and knowledge; being free from violence, surveillance and discrimination; and respects privacy, autonomy and self-determination.
- Digital rights are human rights online that concern access, participation, data security, and privacy, with the human-centred values of dignity, respect, equality, justice, responsibility, consent, and environmental sustainability.
- Digital rights empower humans over companies and should encourage equal and just participation.
The Council of Europe recognizes that human rights apply equally online and offline. That’s why a guide (https://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/guide-to-human-rights-for-internet-users) was created to explain in user-friendly terms the rights and freedoms guaranteed to internet users by the European Convention on Human Rights. In this guide, the categories for digital rights are:
- Access and non-discrimination
- Freedom of expression and information
- Freedom of assembly, association and participation
- Privacy and data protection
- Education and literacy
- Protection of children and young people
- Right to effective remedies for violations of human rights
There are several initiatives and organisations that have started working on digital rights to create a fair and open digital environment in which people live with dignity and vitality and enables everyone to flourish and thrive to their fullest potential (https://edri.org/). Terms like Privacy & Data Protection, Information Democracy, Open Internet & Inclusive Tech will soon be heard more and more often.
By Sotirios Roussos
