Artificial intelligence
The open letter, signed by APC and other civil society organisations, emphasises the fundamental importance of ensuring transparency and adequately assessing the human rights impact of any public-private partnerships that the UN may enter into, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The context of how artificial intelligence affects our rights as digital natives is worth unpacking, especially during political and public health crises, where online communication is a lifeline for many, and citizens are possibly being subjected to government surveillance and manipulation.
Many countries today are turning to digital technologies to provide information as well as for monitoring and controlling people infected with the virus, which alerts us to the potential impact of these technologies on people’s fundamental rights.
APC’s priorities at this HRC session include gender and privacy online, freedom of religion or belief, and the criminalisation of human rights defenders, journalists and digital security and tech expertise, as well as highlighting violations of internet rights in countries like India and Myanmar.
APC outlines positions on some of the areas covered in the digital strategies presented by the European Commission that will undoubtedly set a key precedent for global discussions on issues such as regulating platforms, data governance and artificial intelligence.
In response to the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) call for expressions of interest to join its Independent Advisory Committee (IAC), APC and other NGOs expressed their concerns about the IAC specifically, and the growing role of GIFCT more broadly in regulating content online.
In an increasingly interconnected world, it is easy to forget that many people lack basic internet connectivity. We encourage the ITU to continue to focus on its core mandate of “connecting all the world’s people”, and explore new and emerging technologies to improve connectivity.
“Human Rights in the Age of Platforms”, published by the MIT Press, examines the human rights implications of today's platform society. APCNews interviewed Rikke Frank Jørgensen, editor of the publication, who provided insight on the reflections and recommendations captured in this book.
First-time IGF participant Miru Lee of the Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet shares her reflections on the discussions around two topics of particular interest to her: the human rights impacts of AI, and the complexities of content regulation in the online space.
One of the most contentious topics at the 2019 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was artificial intelligence (AI). With its seeming apolitical nature, it is in reality the Trojan horse of political interest, and it took centre stage right from the beginning of the Forum.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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