From code to conscience: Our partners safeguarding human rights online

This year, on Human Rights Day, we observe the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the international community’s foundational text enshrining the fundamental rights and basic freedoms that all people are entitled to.

Thanks to the UDHR, people across the world have fought for – and secured – the laws and standards protecting their rights as individuals of equal dignity and worth.

But the UDHR is also an aspiration – one we are still far from fully realising. It is unevenly upheld and respected among countries and communities, while conflicts persist and inequalities rise.

Since its adoption in 1948, egregious violations and abuses of people’s human rights continue in both expected and novel ways, as disruption and innovation permanently challenge its spirit. Technology can often end up in service of autocrats, fueling hate speech, disinformation and democratic decline, which denies people their right to freedom of expression and assembly.

In many countries, online and offline spaces where people can engage, participate, and challenge power are being curtailed. And new digital technologies carry substantial risks to the very rights enshrined in the UDHR for people from historically underrepresented, marginalised and persecuted groups, including women, youth, and LGBTQIA+ people.

Many of our partners work daily to tackle the spread of mis- and disinformation, protect freedom of expression, and challenge the data practices and algorithmic systems that underpin the harms built into social media platforms’ business models. Today, we acknowledge and honor each of our partners working to defend human rights in the digital space.

At Luminate, we want technology to work for, and not against, democracy. On Human Rights Day, explore our interactive map to see localized initiatives by Luminate partners who are shaping digital and information ecosystems where all can enjoy equal rights to safety, freedom, and dignity.