Human Rights in a Digitalized World: Mapping Risk, Strengthening Regulation and Promoting the Development of International Human Rights Law

Started in August 2023

Context

Advancements in digital technology have created both opportunities and risks for the promotion, expansion and application of human rights. Among the most topical challenges is the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), and the possibility that such technologies will grow and disperse without taking into potential account human rights externalities – and in the absence of a robust regulatory framework.

These challenges are beginning to be discussed at the multilateral level. At the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC), AI has been examined in terms of its impacts on persons with disabilities, privacy, and racial discrimination. Most recently, in late 2022, the HRC adopted resolutions A/HRC/51/L.3 and A/HRC/51/L.25, requesting its Advisory Committee to prepare separate studies examining the human rights implications of neurotechnology and emerging military technologies.

An issue yet to be addressed, but of increasing concern, is how AI coupled with internet reliance has created an opportunity for individuals, non-state groups, states use web-based platforms to push content to produce outcomes that violate human rights (e.g. incitement of discrimination-driven violence).

The coming years represent a critical period for unpacking and understanding these digital technologies through a human rights lens, and ensuring that regulatory standards and accountability keep pace with threats.

Objective

To unpack these challenges, this 3-year project will target three emerging and under-researched areas (i) digital military technologies, (ii) content pushing for ends incompatible with human rights and (iii) neurotechnology.

This project aims at empowering key stakeholders with a common understanding of the principal risks with a view to strengthening the international human rights framework and crafting effective regulation.

Working in cooperation with the HRC Advisory Council and UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, the project will culminate in the development of guidelines on the development and use of these new technologies in conformity with human rights. Dissemination will separately target the technology and corporate sectors with a view to these communities of practice incorporating human rights perspectives into their innovation practices, product development and internal regulatory frameworks.

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Dr Erica Harper at the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee News

Our Expert Inputs UN Discussion on the Regulation of Emerging Military Technologies

11 August 2023

Dr Harper shed light on military technologies’ potential impact on human rights and addressed the risks associated with the cross-application of these technologies and the related need for regulation.

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RESEARCHERS

Portrait of Jonathan Andrew

Jonathan Andrew

Research Fellow

Dr Andrew conducts research on the nexus of human rights law with the development of neurotechnologies, emerging issues stemming from new technologies’ use in the military domain, and the deployment of dual-use technologies by law enforcement.

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Expert Roundtable on Opportunities for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Human Rights Monitoring News

Expert Roundtable on Opportunities for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Human Rights Monitoring

19 November 2024

The Geneva Human Rights Platform hosted an expert roundtable with the theme 'Opportunities for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Human Rights Monitoring.'

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New Research Brief Evaluates the Effectiveness of GDPR in Mitigating Risks Associated with the Distinctive Nature of Neurodata

21 January 2025

Our recent research brief, Neurodata: Navigating GDPR and AI Act Compliance in the Context of Neurotechnology, examines how effectively GDPR addresses the unique risks posed by neurodata.

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Portrait of Alain Berset Event

Le Conseil de l'Europe - Une mission-clé pour l'Europe et le monde

24 February 2025, 18:00-19:30

In this public lecture Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, will discuss with our director, Paola Gaeta and students from the Geneva Graduate Institute, University of Geneva and Geneva Academy.

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Faces and Data Event

The Future of Human Rights Measurement and Tracking

18 February 2025, 16:00-17:30

This Human Rights Conversation will bring together leading organizations and experts in the field, delving into specific tools, databases, and approaches that can enhance human rights monitoring and implementation.

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Universal Declaration of Human Rights Booklet Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

7-11 July 2025

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

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IHL Expert Pool

Started in January 2022

The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.

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surveillance image of people Project

Human Rights in a Digitalized World: Mapping Risk, Strengthening Regulation and Promoting the Development of International Human Rights Law

Started in August 2023

To unpack the challenges raised by artificial intelligence, this project will target two emerging and under-researched areas: digital military technologies and neurotechnology.

Read more

Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

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