New and emerging tech
18 Apr 2024
news
GPD provides submission to Global Digital Compact zero draft
We welcome the recent publication of the zero draft of the Global Digital Compact, an ongoing UN-led initiative that aims to develop a set of guiding principles for member states on how human rights standards apply in the digital age. We particularly applaud that the Compact recognises human…
02 Apr 2024
Blog post
The world’s first treaty on AI: our thoughts and the way forward
This month, the Council of Europe’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI) wrapped up negotiations on a groundbreaking draft Framework Convention on artificial Intelligence, human rights, democracy and the rule of law. This draft Convention marks a milestone as the world’s first binding treaty…
08 Feb 2024
news
Civil society and industry call on states to reject the UN Cybercrime Convention in its present form
Major human rights and industry groups have jointly issued a stark warning on the potentially disastrous impacts of the proposed UN Cybercrime Convention, which is entering the final stages of negotiations this week. In a letter to the Chair of the…
31 Oct 2023
Blog post
Navigating the Global AI Governance Landscape
The recent Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Kyoto reaffirmed AI as an urgent cross-cutting priority for a diverse set of stakeholders. At the same time, it highlighted the rapidly expanding scale and complexity of the AI governance landscape. This complexity presents a…
19 Sep 2023
Blog post
What would a human rights-based approach to AI governance look like?
Over the past year, discussions around artificial intelligence (AI) have saturated media and policy environments. Perspectives on it vary widely: from boosterist narratives which posit the limitless potential of AI-powered technologies to help overcome social inequalities and accelerate industrial development; to apocalyptic framings, which suggest that a (speculative)…
10 Aug 2023
Blog post
Shaky consensus at the OEWG: where next for UN discussions on state behaviour in cyberspace?
On 24-28 July, states convened in New York for the fifth session of the UN First Committee’s Open ended Working Group on ICTs (OEWG), which aims to establish a common understanding of—and further develop the framework for—responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. This session marked a critical…
24 Jul 2023
Blog post
Guardrails and coordination on AI: assessing the HRC’s NET Resolution Renewal
During the recent 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), states convened to discuss the renewal of resolution 41/11—a landmark instrument passed in 2019, which called on the HRC’s Advisory Committee to produce and present a report identifying the impacts, opportunities…
20 Apr 2023
Blog post
First thoughts on the revised zero draft of the Council of Europe’s AI Treaty
Note: GPD is an observer to the Council of Europe’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence. All comments are based solely on public documents. * The Council of Europe’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI) is currently developing the world’s first treaty on AI, working towards an ambitious completion date of the end…
10 Nov 2022
Blog post
Key takeaways from the 2022 ITU Plenipotentiary
Last month we attended the 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union—a major agenda-setting juncture in the calendar of this UN telecoms body. A few takeaways: This Plenipotentiary, there was a heightened focus on the election of the Secretary-General and other senior posts,…
09 Nov 2022
Blog post
Why the EU should reconsider its stance negotiating the Council of Europe’s AI Convention
“We need to create a sustainable legal framework for AI that reaches across our continent—and even beyond. A new framework convention that can be a platform for co-operation and set important standards, just like the Budapest Convention. And I hope that this is what we can now work…
07 Jun 2022
Blog post
GPD and other organisations submit joint input to OHCHR on the right to privacy in the digital age
GPD, alongside five other civil society organisations— Derechos Digitales, Transparência Brasil, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), the Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO) and Fundación Karisma—has responded to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ call for…
03 Aug 2021
Blog post
UNESCO’s Draft Recommendation on ethics and AI: our thoughts on the final text
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has now finalised its Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, which it will submit for adoption to the General Conference of UNESCO later this year. If adopted, this Recommendation would mark the successful…
24 Jul 2021
Report
National Artificial Intelligence Strategies and Human Rights: A Review (second edition)
This is an updated edition of a 2020 report by Global Partners Digital and Stanford’s Global Digital Policy Incubator, which provides an in-depth review of National AI Strategies around the world from a human rights perspective. The new edition builds on the original report…
10 May 2021
Blog post
First thoughts on the European Commission’s AI Regulation
The European Commission recently published its proposal for a Regulation on artificial intelligence (known as the Artificial Intelligence Act), which seeks to establish a harmonised legal framework to regulate AI across the EU. The proposed Regulation would regulate AI systems according…
30 Apr 2021
Blog post
UNESCO’s Draft Recommendation on ethics and AI: our thoughts
There is no shortage of forums and processes around the world looking to develop standards on the governance, use and regulation of AI. One of the furthest along is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which is aiming to adopt a…
17 Mar 2021
Report
Human Rights in the Digital Age: State of Play across Commonwealth Pacific Countries
The rise and evolution of the internet and digital technologies has brought about new opportunities and challenges for communities around the world to exercise and enjoy their human rights – including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the right to privacy. However, while it is now widely accepted that…
30 Jul 2020
Report
The Tech Sector and National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights
This guidance document aims to assist state actors and other stakeholders in the development of National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights (NAPs) in the specific context of the tech sector. Jointly developed by Global Partners Digital and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, it…
30 Jun 2020
Blog post
The European Commission’s White Paper On Artificial Intelligence: our response
GPD has responded to the European Commission’s consultation on its White Paper on artificial intelligence (AI), published in February. The White Paper set out the Commission’s proposals for measures relating to AI that it intends to take, inviting feedback on its specific proposals. In our…
19 Jun 2020
multimedia
In beta, episode 10 (S2): Power, politics and artificial intelligence
In this episode, we speak to Ivana Bartoletti, author of the recent book, An Artificial Revolution: On Power, Politics and AI. In beta ·…
14 Apr 2020
multimedia
In beta, episode 2 (S2): Tracking civic freedom in a pandemic
We speak to Lisa Vermeer of the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law (ICNL) about the COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker, a new tool which monitors government responses to the pandemic that affect civic freedoms and human rights. Subscribe to GPD’s monthly email digest…
12 Feb 2020
Report
Promoting business and human rights in the tech sector: webinar series
This programme of four webinars and a series of five specific modules has been designed to strengthen the capacity of civil society actors to understand and promote the business and human rights framework in the tech sector. Based on a workshop co-organised with New America’s Open Technology Institute, Ranking Digital…
01 Feb 2019
Blog post
Notes towards a study of National AI Strategies
Last week, investor George Soros’ keynote speech at the 2019 Davos World Economic Forum took an unexpected turn: “I want to call attention to the mortal danger facing open societies from the instruments of control that machine learning and artificial intelligence can put in the hands…
09 Nov 2018
Blog post
National Action Plans: the importance of process
It is increasingly accepted that businesses play a critical role when it comes to the protection of human rights. In an earlier blog post, we looked at the role that National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights (NAPs) can play in enhancing respect for human rights in the…
01 Nov 2018
multimedia
In beta, episode 12: is the internet “killing democracy”?
In the wake of the 2016 US election, and more recent incidents like the Cambridge Analytica scandal, media and political narratives increasingly posit digital technologies as a threat to democracy. Are they? We speak to Jamie Bartlett, author of a new book which makes this argument, to unpack and explore…
03 Sep 2018
Blog post
Can National Action Plans make tech companies rights-respecting?
Last month, several online platforms made a collective decision to remove content by Infowars, a conspiracy theory platform associated with the far-right, on the grounds of hate speech and incitement to violence. This decision, while welcomed in many quarters, points to a troubling…
11 Aug 2014
Report
Travel Guide to the Digital World: Surveillance and international standards
It is always advisable to do some research before you embark on a trip. A wise traveller will understand their destination before they depart, paying particular attention to any potential security concerns. It may seem strange to apply this advice to the internet, because most people reading this guide will feel a sense of familiarity, even…