Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DigitalHRGeneration3 (Three Generations of Digital Human Rights)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2025-06-30
The project "Three Generations of Digital Human Rights" addresses the implications for international human rights law of the rapid evolution of digital technologies and the attendant regulatory choices. In today's digital age, traditional legal frameworks struggle to keep pace with emerging challenges such as digital surveillance, AI regulation and corporate accountability. This project delivers a comprehensive response—integrating insights from law, computer science and social sciences—to redefine and develop human rights principles applicable to digital contexts.
Key contextual elements include:
Motivation and Need: Digital technologies increasingly permeate every aspect of social life, raising urgent questions about the protection of basis human needs and interests, as well as democratic accountability. Existing international human rights law structures struggle to address issues like digital surveillance, algorithmic decision-making and the responsibilities of multinational tech corporations.
Overall Objectives: The project aims to:
• Develop theoretical frameworks that adapt international human rights law to the digital era
• Create novel methodologies, including data-driven legal research and comparative analysis, to evaluate digital rights challenges and the regulatory choices they present
• Generate actionable policy recommendations that bridge academic insights and practical governance, fostering improved democratic oversight, corporate accountability and enhanced protection of human rights
Expected Impact: By establishing a new agenda for integrating technical and legal perspectives, the project will influence future policy developments, regulatory reactions, jurisprudence and academic debates relating to digital human rights. This is particularly valuable since rapid technological changes demand immediate and informed legal responses, while also providing diverse and multi-stakeholder perspectives that challenge dominant narratives.
Key contextual elements include:
Motivation and Need: Digital technologies increasingly permeate every aspect of social life, raising urgent questions about the protection of basis human needs and interests, as well as democratic accountability. Existing international human rights law structures struggle to address issues like digital surveillance, algorithmic decision-making and the responsibilities of multinational tech corporations.
Overall Objectives: The project aims to:
• Develop theoretical frameworks that adapt international human rights law to the digital era
• Create novel methodologies, including data-driven legal research and comparative analysis, to evaluate digital rights challenges and the regulatory choices they present
• Generate actionable policy recommendations that bridge academic insights and practical governance, fostering improved democratic oversight, corporate accountability and enhanced protection of human rights
Expected Impact: By establishing a new agenda for integrating technical and legal perspectives, the project will influence future policy developments, regulatory reactions, jurisprudence and academic debates relating to digital human rights. This is particularly valuable since rapid technological changes demand immediate and informed legal responses, while also providing diverse and multi-stakeholder perspectives that challenge dominant narratives.
During the reporting period, the project achieved major advancements in both research and methodological innovation, characterized by extensive interdisciplinary collaboration and practical engagements bridging theory and application.
Key Activities and Achievements Include:
Research and Publications:
• Developed a conceptual framework for the emergence of digital human rights, articulating the "Three Generations" approach
• Published research articles in leading journals and academic blogs, and presented findings in top international conferences
• Conducted studies on the impact of AI technology—from autonomous weapon systems to digital evidence in international law—enriching academic dialogue on AI regulation and digital governance
Methodological Innovations:
• Established novel collaborations between legal scholars and computer scientists, yielding co-authored research that combines technical analysis with legal reasoning
• Leveraged large language models to analyze customary international law, offering new insights into state practices and evolving digital rights
• Conducted comparative studies of regional approaches to digital rights, incorporating critical perspectives from the Global South
Knowledge Transfer and Stakeholder Engagement:
• Organized major international workshops and conferences (e.g. in Oxford University and King's College London), and presented work in major international counferences, fostering dialogue among academic experts, policymakers, and industry stakeholders
• Engaged extensively with media, policy discussions, and direct consultation with lawmakers and regulatory bodies to translate research into policy measures
Team and Infrastructure Development:
• Consolidated a dynamic, interdisciplinary research group spanning legal, technical, and social science expertise
• Established robust remote and virtual collaboration mechanisms, enabling continuity and high-quality output even during periods of geopolitical instability
Key Activities and Achievements Include:
Research and Publications:
• Developed a conceptual framework for the emergence of digital human rights, articulating the "Three Generations" approach
• Published research articles in leading journals and academic blogs, and presented findings in top international conferences
• Conducted studies on the impact of AI technology—from autonomous weapon systems to digital evidence in international law—enriching academic dialogue on AI regulation and digital governance
Methodological Innovations:
• Established novel collaborations between legal scholars and computer scientists, yielding co-authored research that combines technical analysis with legal reasoning
• Leveraged large language models to analyze customary international law, offering new insights into state practices and evolving digital rights
• Conducted comparative studies of regional approaches to digital rights, incorporating critical perspectives from the Global South
Knowledge Transfer and Stakeholder Engagement:
• Organized major international workshops and conferences (e.g. in Oxford University and King's College London), and presented work in major international counferences, fostering dialogue among academic experts, policymakers, and industry stakeholders
• Engaged extensively with media, policy discussions, and direct consultation with lawmakers and regulatory bodies to translate research into policy measures
Team and Infrastructure Development:
• Consolidated a dynamic, interdisciplinary research group spanning legal, technical, and social science expertise
• Established robust remote and virtual collaboration mechanisms, enabling continuity and high-quality output even during periods of geopolitical instability
The project has achieved breakthroughs that significantly advance the current understanding and practice of digital human rights, moving well beyond existing academic paradigms.
Major Breakthroughs and Advances Include:
Theoretical and Conceptual Innovations:
• Three Generations Framework: Rethinks traditional human rights categories by examining how digital challenges necessitate both the extension of existing rights and the creation of new ones (e.g. the right to human decision-making), as well as a choice between the two strategies
• AI Conceptual Disruptions Framework: Shifts focus from conventional risk analyses to a broader critique of how AI systems disrupt societal norms, influencing both legal interpretation and policy design
Methodological Advances:
• Data-Driven Analysis: Integrates computational techniques with legal scholarship to empirically assess legal precedent and state practice, including in the realm of digital rights
• Hybrid Legal-Ethnographic Approaches: Combines legal analysis with qualitative insights from affected communities, enriching thereby evaluation of digital governance and content moderation practices
Practical and Policy Implications:
• Generated actionable recommendations for international regulatory frameworks, including proposals for new digital human rights, enhanced corporate accountability and improved oversight mechanisms
• Engaged diverse stakeholders—from policymakers to tech companies—laying groundwork for innovative, multi-stakeholder governance models that could support further research, demonstration projects, and eventual application of digital human rights solutions
Overall, the project outcomes not only contribute to academic discourse but also pave the way for significant improvements in policy-making and practical interventions in the digital human rights domain.
Major Breakthroughs and Advances Include:
Theoretical and Conceptual Innovations:
• Three Generations Framework: Rethinks traditional human rights categories by examining how digital challenges necessitate both the extension of existing rights and the creation of new ones (e.g. the right to human decision-making), as well as a choice between the two strategies
• AI Conceptual Disruptions Framework: Shifts focus from conventional risk analyses to a broader critique of how AI systems disrupt societal norms, influencing both legal interpretation and policy design
Methodological Advances:
• Data-Driven Analysis: Integrates computational techniques with legal scholarship to empirically assess legal precedent and state practice, including in the realm of digital rights
• Hybrid Legal-Ethnographic Approaches: Combines legal analysis with qualitative insights from affected communities, enriching thereby evaluation of digital governance and content moderation practices
Practical and Policy Implications:
• Generated actionable recommendations for international regulatory frameworks, including proposals for new digital human rights, enhanced corporate accountability and improved oversight mechanisms
• Engaged diverse stakeholders—from policymakers to tech companies—laying groundwork for innovative, multi-stakeholder governance models that could support further research, demonstration projects, and eventual application of digital human rights solutions
Overall, the project outcomes not only contribute to academic discourse but also pave the way for significant improvements in policy-making and practical interventions in the digital human rights domain.