National Human Rights Institutions as Digital Rights Watchdogs

About the Action Coalition

Digitalisation has strong human rights implications – both positive and negative as digital technologies are finding its way into many of the areas that “traditional” duty-bearers were implementing and overseeing, such as facial recognition in policing; AI based profiling models in individual case handling and recruitment in the public sector; information distribution through social media by authorities; internet banking; digital identity systems etc. These trends pose several human rights challenges, which human rights organisations, including NHRIs, need to address. However, their capacity to respond is rather limited. Reasons for lack of such human rights response are various, including lack of capacity, expertise or awareness. An operational Digital Rights Coalition will support NHRIs in getting empowered to raise to this challenge.

Output during Year of Action

1. Reflection tool on NHRI mandate areas in the context of digitalisation (lead by DIHR, with input from NHRIs interested): first draft version ready by June 2022; the tool launched by December 2022.
2. Session at RightsCon on tech and NHRI mandate areas of legal review and complaints-handling (together with the UN B-tech project).
3. Ad-hoc activities identified by members throughout 2022.