Digital Human Rights
Research Program
Digital
Human Rights
We evaluate the various social-media led movements across the world - especially in the sphere of human rights. We also seek to address the negative effects of social media, especially with regards to fake news and amplification of voices that have led to infraction of the said rights as well. We map the interlinkages of social media and human rights - and how it can be effectively used to denounce human rights abuses.
Though the internet has in many ways been a boon to the human rights movement, we have come a long way from the heady days of “Twitter and Facebook revolution” during the 2011 Arab uprising.
Human Rights Watch
The age of social media
The reach of social media is indisputable. From Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter to TikTok, WhatsApp, social media is penetrating every sphere of an individual’s life. While it is riddled with issues of fake news, privacy, and manipulation, one cannot deny the importance and reach of these platforms across the globe. In fact, these tools have become a major part of strategies employed during elections and have also led to election manipulation across various democracies around the world (eg: India, USA)
What is ?
Digital activism
Digital activism is the use of electronic communication technologies such as social media, especially Twitter and Facebook, YouTube, e-mail, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster communications by citizen movements and the delivery of local information to a large audience
#Advocacy
Hashtags like #RefugeesWelcome, #BlackLivesMatter, and #PrayForParis have allowed for individuals across the world to create and become part of a larger conversation about the important events of the present day.
4.41
billion
In 2020, an estimated 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost 4.41 billion in 2025.
Catalyst for change
Social Media in the past few years has been used to organise, educate, amplify, assemble against various abuses all across the world. Recent and most prominent examples of such movements have been - the campaign “#MeToo” against sexual harassment and abuse; “#BlackLivesMatter” in the United States; “#BlueforSudan”, which sought to educate about the revolution internationally and led to a regime change.
What is ?
Digital rights
We consider
digital rights to be human rights as applicable in the digital sphere. That is human rights in both physically constructed spaces, such as infrastructure and devices, and in spaces that are virtually constructed, like our online identities and communities.
Tool for human rights violations
However, this project also seeks to evaluate the negative effects of Social Media, especially with regard to fake news and amplification of voices that have led to infraction of the said rights as well. Examples of such situations include the New Delhi Riots of 2020, Rohingyas Genocide in Myanmar.
Our Work
The perseverance of Myanmar’s youth to fight for freedom is proving to be the key to the country’s democratic future.
Undeniably, digitization has been our saviour during the COVID 19 pandemic. However, major concerns must be addressed before making digital passports our ticket to our pre-COVID lives.
Despite being an authoritarian regime, Iran has an interesting (albeit conflicted) relationship with social media. Although Iranian authorities often see social media as a threat, Iranian politicians are increasingly using social media as a way to appeal to voters.
Our Crew
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Pia Staudenmaier
ButtonResearcher
Join Us Aboard
To solve global challenges we need interdisciplinary and diverse research teams. We offer a safe haven for digital castaways, creative sailors and curious explorers. Do you share the same passion for making our digital society just, democratic and protecting human rights?
