The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a host of opportunities and challenges. AI has the potential to enhance individual wellbeing, to accelerate progress towards the SDGs and to promote the protection of and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. However, the technology poses risks to these same universal human rights when misused or when an appropriate policy infrastructure is lacking. Robust AI governance frameworks, grounded in international human rights standards, are essential. This event, organised by the Netherlands as the 2024 Chair of the Freedom Online Coalition, will address how comprehensive AI governance frameworks can be fully aligned with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law, as emphasised by all 193 United Nations member states in the first UN General Assembly resolution on AI (A/78/L.49).
In the 13 years since its inception, the cross-regional Freedom Online Coalition, now comprising 41 governments, has established itself as a crucial platform for advancing human rights principles in the digital age. This discussion aims to harness key insights for human rights-based AI governance, drawing on the final report of the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI.
Caspar Veldkamp
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Mauricio Lizcano
Minister of Information Technologies and Communications, Colombia
Margus Tsahkna
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
Antony J. Blinken
Secretary of State,
United States
Dr. Alison Gillwald
Executive Director, Research ICT Africa & FOC Advisory Network Member
Moderator
Nighat Dad
Executive Director, Digital Rights Foundation & HLAB-AI Member
Sabhanaz Rashid Diya
Executive Director, Tech Global Institute & FOC Advisory Network Member
Sarah Heck
Policy, Anthropic
Volker Türk
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Antony J. Blinken
Secretary of State, United States
Uzra Zeya
Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, United States
Welcome to our fellow Freedom Online Coalition members and other esteemed government, private sector, and civil society guests. Thank you for joining us today, at a critical inflection point, with technology transforming nearly every aspect of daily life. Our challenge is how we can shape this transformation in a way that maximizes its promise, minimizes its dangers, and reinforces universal human rights.
The 2030 Agenda is no exception. As we strive to realize the Sustainable Development Goals from building resilient and sustainable infrastructure, reducing inequality, and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, we need to connect the dots between technological advances and increased digital connectivity with progress on universal rights and protecting fundamental freedoms.
In the end, remaining resolute in our commitment to achieve the 2030 Agenda and anchoring technology policy in rights-respecting and inclusive approaches are mutually reinforcing objectives.
The United States is already working with many of you here today to this end. For instance, the Export Controls and Human Rights Initiative Code of Conduct represents a promising model to prevent the misuse of technologies that enable human rights abuses. Just last week, the United States hosted 18 of the subscribing states, as well as civil society and industry representatives to discuss how to increase participation and follow up actions to integrate human rights criteria into export control regimes.
Today’s discussion is also timely, given the many technology policy discussions underway within the UN where we have an opportunity to apply a human rights lens. Notably, this week, we join our UN colleagues in charting a pathway to improving lives across the globe at the Summit for the Future. And this fall, negotiations start on the Global Digital Compact, which if we get it right, will set a standard to uphold our rights online and protect users from those who would exploit the space to limit our freedoms.
There are also new UN efforts on issues around emerging technologies, such as the UN High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence and the UN’s Code of Conduct for Information Integrity. Every representative present today has an important voice in shaping this growing, global agenda.
The imperative for collective action inspired the United States to serve as the chair of the Freedom Online Coalition – or – FOC this pivotal year. As FOC chair, we are partnering with governments, civil society, and the private sector to protect and promote the promise of an Internet that is open, interoperable, reliable, and secure. Additionally, we seek to bolster the Coalition’s commitment to connecting the unconnected and enabling access to the Internet and digital technologies for everyone, no matter who or where they are.
But the FOC cannot and should not do this alone, so we appreciate the presence today of governments and non-governmental actors beyond this grouping. Together, we can shape a future in which all people are able to exercise their universal rights and reap the benefits that technology brings.
Thank you.
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Hanke Bruins Slot
Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Everyone here is united by a common value.
We all believe in freedom and human rights, and we all believe they should apply everywhere.
Online, just as much as in the real world.
So it’s a pleasure to stand here, with so many partners who’ve played an important role in the global discussion on internet governance.
We need co-operation everywhere, but especially with digital issues: it makes a difference.
Only by getting all stakeholders involved can we address the challenges of the 21st century.
Inclusion is the key to success – so it’s great to speak before a panel discussion with members from the G77.
Because, when our predecessors Secretary Clinton and minister Rosenthal started this coalition 12 years ago – our two countries wanted to make it as broad as possible.
This goal still stands, and it’s more urgent than ever.
Because we are about to experience a revolution in Artificial Intelligence, and it will affect every aspect of our life.
As you said several times, Secretary Blinken: we are at an inflection point.
The choices we make now, will determine the future of this technology. And with it: our own future.
So we must make the right choices: for human rights, for digital rights, and for freedom online.
The Netherlands believes that in these choices, two issues are clearly linked.
The promotion of digital rights, and bridging the digital divide.
A free, open, and secure internet is only possible when all countries are connected to it; When all countries are digitally secure; And when all countries have rules and legislation that protect human rights online.
That’s why this next panel will be so important: digital inclusion is key to achieving all these things.
Next year, the Netherlands will assume the chairmanship of the FOC. In that role, we will continue the important discussions on Internet governance, digital inclusion and human rights and AI.
And we hope you will all join us in this effort.
Thank you.
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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the United Kingdom
We are at a development crossroads. The pace of technological change is growing exponentially. New technologies can and should be a force for good for everyone, and not a tool of repression or exclusion. But to ensure humanity takes the correct path, we need to work together to shape how new technologies are developed and used.
That is why our Prime Minster is hosting an AI Safety Summit in November, to give impetus to work towards the safe and reliable development and use of frontier AI globally.
Later this month we are also joining forces with UNESCO and a range on NGOs to co-host the Global Conference for the Celebration of the International Day for the Universal Access to Information. Which will underline the importance of the online space.
As country chair of the Freedom Online Coalition’s Task Force on Internet Shutdowns, we are working with civil society partners ‘Access Now’ and ‘Global Network Initiative’, to push back against government-imposed Internet shutdowns and restrictions, and to ensure existing and emerging tech safeguards human rights.
And at home our Online Safety Bill will empower more people to enjoy their right to freedom of expression online, by giving users the option of greater control over the people and content they interact with.
How we come together to harness and make the most of new technologies in the coming years, will define humanity for generations. Perhaps forever. The UK stands ready to work with all global partners to ensure we collectively make the right choices.
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H.E. Ahmed Khaleel
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, the Maldives
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honoured to be here today representing the Maldives, a nation that is embracing the digital revolution with open arms.
We believe in the power of technology as an enabler of rights and as a catalyst for economic prosperity. We are committed to ensuring that our citizens can connect virtually and take full advantage of the opportunities that the Internet provides. With 63 per cent of the population utilising the internet, the Maldives is one of the highest digitally connected countries in the South Asian region. We are also the first South Asian country to launch 5G commercially and now over 45 per cent of our population has access to this next-generation technology.
Excellencies,
In a country like the Maldives - that is made up of widely dispersed atolls and islands, with people living in 187 islands - digital connectivity has the potential to unlock and accelerate sustainable development. Recognising this, the administration of President Solih has given utmost importance to connecting the widely dispersed atolls and unlocking a world of digital possibilities. The Government has introduced and enhanced two digital platforms "eFaas" and "OneGov" which allow all residents to verify their identity and get access to the most essential public services from anywhere. This step has also left a significant impact on marginalized communities, as they are able to utilize these platforms from the comfort of their homes.
Most recently, a special platform "Gedhoruverin Portal" was designed to facilitate applications for land and flats being provided by the government to more than 43,000 residents living in the capital city of Male'. This platform eliminated the wastage of paper-based applications and people queuing in line for days.
Excellencies,
The importance of digitalization was felt the hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the significant socio-economic challenges that we faced as a result of the pandemic, the Government ensured that basic services such as education and health services would not be disrupted. This was done by building up on previously established digitalisation efforts and also through the introduction of new initiatives.
During this period, classes were conducted by schools through e-learning platforms. Healthcare services continued through online consultations and banking services were provided through online transactions. The Supreme Court started conducting hearings online. The Family Court conducted marriages online. Government officials and private sector workers were able to transition to working from home with ease, due to the foundations of digitalisation which had been planted beforehand.
Excellencies,
Despite all these achievements we, as a small island nation have achieved, we recognize that there are challenges to digitalising the country. While efforts have been undertaken with Internet Service Providers on reducing costs and enhancing access, affordability and quality of Internet services remain issues, across our island nation. Only 51 per cent of households in atolls have access to good quality broadband internet service compared to 83 per cent in the capital.
Continuous investment is also being made in digital infrastructure and affordability. This includes the "Ocean Connect Maldives" project which connects the Maldives directly to an International Submarine Cable System for the first time. This project will reduce internet costs within the country by half, double the internet capacity, and ensure that all Maldivians can access a wide range of public- and private-sector services in a secure manner in line with SDG 10 of reducing inequalities.
Excellencies,
I want to take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to advancing digital transformation and contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs through inclusive digital policies. I thank bilateral and multilateral partners that have supported the Maldives in these efforts. In the Maldives, we are seeing the benefits of a digitally inclusive world, especially in the context of a widely dispersed, small Island Developing State. We urge you to join us in this endeavour, where no one is left behind.
Let us all walk into the new digital age together.
I thank you.
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Pedro Lopes
Secretary of State for Digital Economy, Cabo Verde
Extending connectivity to all communities and citizens is hindered by the challenge of digital literacy, which encompasses the ability to proficiently use digital technology and navigate the internet. Without this essential skill set, individuals may struggle to access vital resources like online education, job opportunities, and healthcare information, and are more susceptible to online risks such as scams and misinformation. To overcome this obstacle, it is imperative to implement comprehensive digital literacy programs alongside connectivity initiatives, providing the necessary training and resources for individuals to effectively utilize online opportunities and engage in the digital world securely and responsibly. This approach ensures that the benefits of connectivity are accessible to all, narrowing the digital divide and promoting inclusive participation in the digital age.
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H.E. Jan Lipavský
Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Czech Republic
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great honor to have the opportunity to intervene at this event.
The topic of human rights in the digital sphere is very dear to me personally and it is certainly high on a Czech foreign policy priority list. Inclusive and rights-respecting digital policy is essential for Agenda 2030 as human rights, digital technologies and Agenda 2030 are mutually reinforcing.
New technologies affect different aspects of our life and constitute unprecedented opportunities to improve its quality. They have great potential to contribute to development as well as to the protection and promotion of human rights. However, they also pose significant and particular challenges. This is why we need to focus - along with ongoing digitalization and advances of new technologies - on protection of human rights in the digital space.
UN is the right forum! Therefore, Czechia decided to present together with Mexico, Maldives, the Netherlands and South Africa, at the upcoming session of the UNGA Third Committee, a new resolution on promotion and protection of human rights in the context of digital technologies.
The aim of the resolution is to capture a basic consensus on the application of human rights in the context of digital technologies throughout their life cycle. The resolution addresses the impact of digital technologies on human rights, such as the right to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly or access to information. We are looking forward to engage constructively with all of you and would appreciate your support in this endeavor.
I firmly believe that there is an urgent need for governments, civil society and the private sector to protect the fundamental pillars of democratic society - that is human rights and the rule of law, and to implement the international human rights framework, both offline and online. Let us therefore focus our efforts on ensuring that the digital policy and technology development function as facilitators of rights and go hand in hand with development policies. Digitalization must serve the people, not the other way around.
Czechia pledged to address the digital challenges and to promote a human-centric and human rights-based approach in its commitments for the current membership in the Human Rights Council. We are also actively engaged in the ongoing negotiations on a new regulation of artificial intelligence in the EU. Finally, we are working in the framework of the Council of Europe on elaboration of a legally binding instrument on the impact of artificial intelligence on human rights.
In conclusion, let me thank the United States for their considerable efforts in chairing the Freedom Online Coalition and for organizing today's event.
Thank you.
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Anders Tang Friborg
Under-Secretary for Foreign Policy, Denmark
The past days has left me inspired by the immense potential and promise of technology, especially AI, to improve societies and deliver on the SDG’s – we saw it at Secretary Blinken’s event on AI on Monday.
But, the risks are also daunting. Some speak of almost existential threats to humanity. Those are important, but must not shift away our attention from the present challenges related to privacy and data, bias and discrimination, disinformation and hallucinations.
The AI-models can be misused, and so, now, we are at a turning point, where we need to strike the balance between innovation and protection, and do so swiftly.
Denmark supports an affirmative vision of AI for humanity. Human rights are an ingrained part of that vision.
Technology should support people. Technology should help us deliver on the SDGs (“sustainable development goals”).
That is why key principles of trust, transparency, accountability, inclusion and meaningful engagement are fundamental.
These are principles that we share in the FOC (“Freedom Online Coalition”), and why Denmark is proud to be a member of this important coalition.
We strongly believe in a collaborative approach that includes civil society, the private sector and governments to harness the power of technology.
Meaningful engagement is crucial to ensure a wealth of knowledge and expertise – for example in the development of the UN’s Global Digital Compact.
Here, the FOC can take a strong position to coordinate and collaborate, not only among ourselves as governments, but with a community of stakeholders.
Denmark believes the FOC has the potential to shape global norms that are rights-respecting and where we find common ground on risks and opportunities of new technologies.
But this comes with a responsibility. A responsibility to lead by example – to show and not tell – by exemplifying how we want new technologies to be used and governed. And in doing so, inspiring that same rights-based approach in other countries.
When we approach the negotiation of the forthcoming Global Digital Compact, this is something we must consider. One thing is agreeing on an affirmative, rights-respecting vision – another is how we build in effective accountability and oversight mechanisms that are so important to new technologies, such as AI.
I hope – and have the ambition – that the FOC can inspire and inform exactly that process.
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H.E Mr. Lasha Darsalia
First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georgia
Excellencies,
Distinguished colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, I would like to thank the United States’ Government, the Chair of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), for organizing today’s ministerial meeting.
The rapid advancement of digital technologies continues to transform all aspects of our everyday lives and their influence will only grow significantly in the near future.
By fostering innovation, expanding global connectivity and strengthening access within and among States, digital technologies have the potential to enhance efficiency and transparency in delivering the government services, improve stakeholder engagement and accelerate progress towards the attainment of all SDGs.
On the other hand, digital technologies can have counterproductive effects on society, by further leaving most vulnerable behind, negatively affecting the functioning of democracy, the rule of law and the enjoyment of human rights in all dimensions.
In this vein, shaping Inclusive and rights-respecting digital policy is essential to harness the benefits of advanced technologies, promote human rights both online and offline and eliminate potential harms coming from their use for malign purposes. Unfortunately, we have witnessed several times, including in my own region.
In order to put digital technology in the service of democracy we need to strengthen multilateral collaboration and better coordinate actions and engagement in international fora with all stakeholders.
Freedom Online Coalition has an important role in promoting Internet freedom and protecting democracy and fundamental human rights. In this regard, we appreciate the US leadership as the Chair of the 2023 Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) and priorities outlined in the program of Action 2023.
Georgia, as the member of the FOC, as well as the Chair of the Community of Democracies’ Working Group on Technology and Democracies, stands ready to further stay closely engaged in a collaborative effort to steer digital technologies in sustainable direction.
I thank you!
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Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt
Political Director, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sweden
Excellencies, dear colleagues. Sweden, as one of the founding members of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), remains a strong supporter of the coalition. We are most grateful and impressed by how the United States continues to pursue its very ambitious program of action for its FOC presidency in 2023.
Sweden remains one of the major donors promoting human rights on the internet, not least to civil society and partners including Access Now, Article 19, Civil Rights Defenders among many others.
As many of you will be aware, Sweden together with Rwanda has co-facilitated the UN Global Digital Compact – the digital track of the Summit of the Future in 2024. The Global Digital Compact will be key to advance the 2030 Agenda not only in online and digital spaces, but in every part of our lives impacted by the Internet.
We now have a number of multistakeholder consultations behind us as part of this work. We appreciate the support from FOC members and its advisory network for their valuable recommendations on the Global Digital Compact.
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Chat Garcia Ramilo
Executive Director, Association for Progressive Communications
Esteemed Ministers, colleagues, thank you for the opportunity to address you today. I speak on behalf of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), an international civil society organisation with members from over 40 countries located mostly in the global South.
We are a network committed to co-creating a just and sustainable world by supporting people to use and shape the internet and digital technologies and ensure that they are developed and governed as a public good.
As we all know, digital technologies have a huge potential to advance and foster sustainable development and human rights. Nevertheless, business models rooted in surveillance and exploitation of people and their data have taken over, and digital technologies’ development and use have become rife with exclusion, misogyny and violence. Women, girls, LGBTQIA+ people and other historically marginalised groups, in particular, face persistent discrimination and violence in online contexts. Worldwide, we see increasing government control over digital technologies and the internet, often characterised by abusive use of legislation to silence and persecute, all while digital divides are widening.
To address this, we believe that digital policy should focus not only on technology, but on addressing the inequality and abuse of power created and worsened by these technologies and the policies that govern them. To this end, I want to propose the following:
- First, we need to foster more robust and meaningful multistakeholder collaboration where those who are affected by digitalisation, particularly marginalised groups, have a voice in shaping policy at national, regional and international levels. For instance, APC recognises the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), in which we actively participate as a member of its Advisory Network, as a valuable platform to advance this goal. The increasing emphasis on digital inclusion as a core component of the FOC mission is a step in the right direction and one where engagement with communities who are most affected is required.
- Secondly, states need to hold technology companies to account for the harm they cause people and the environment. When states insist on companies doing human rights and environmental due diligence in a periodic and consultative manner, the harm they cause can be significantly mitigated. Due diligence needs to take account of the implications of companies' policies, products and services on freedom of expression and privacy, rights of users to be free from violence and to participate in public life, as well as their environmental impact. Meaningful engagement of vulnerable groups who might be adversely impacted by these policies and products is essential. Greater transparency is needed in companies' responses to violence in digital contexts.
- Additionally, when crafting solutions to address abuse online, governments should reconsider restrictive regulatory options and avoid criminalisation that could lead to censorship and persecution. International human rights frameworks should be the basis for digital policy that seeks to address violence and digital exclusion while holding both governments and companies accountable. Specifically, we propose a gender intersectional approach when developing cybersecurity and cybercrime frameworks to mitigate inequalities and discrimination. In collaboration with others, we have developed a framework and an assessment tool that could be helpful for policymakers working on cybersecurity policies.
- Finally, as a global public resource, the internet has to be universal and affordable and its governance should be grounded in international human rights standards and public interest principles. Global digital cooperation can respond to the persistent challenge of digital exclusion through policy and regulatory reform that enables the co-existence of diverse models for connectivity provision, including community networks and medium and small cooperative operators.
- All of us in the international community can ensure that private interests are aligned with public interests that serves as an equaliser and enabler of rights, justice and a sustainable future.
Thank you for your attention.
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Maryana Iskander
Chief Executive Officer, Wikimedia Foundation
My name is Maryana Iskander. I am the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, the global nonprofit that supports Wikipedia and other digital projects for free knowledge. We provide the technical infrastructure, and we support the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who contribute to Wikipedia.
Our organization was accredited to ECOSOC last year and we look forward to supporting our free knowledge projects to advance the SDG’s. We are also active in the Freedom Online Coalition’s advisory network and co-chair the new Task Force on Trustworthy Information Online.
The volunteers who contribute to Wikipedia, who I have the honor of representing today, are also citizens and constituents of all the governments represented here. We are committed to working with all of you to make sure the internet evolves in a way that enables everyone, everywhere, to thrive.
In this age of AI, it is getting harder to ensure that technology serves people - not the other way around. To thrive economically, socially, and culturally - and to exercise all other fundamental human rights - people need well-sourced knowledge that is available in their own languages.
Last month I traveled to Singapore for a global gathering of Wikimedia volunteers from all over the world - I am constantly reminded in these gatherings how dedicated our contributors are to an internet that is human-led and technology-enabled. People like a doctor named Ala’a who dedicates his spare time to making sure accurate information about COVID-19 is available in Arabic. Or Taufik, who started editing Malay language Wikipedia as a student after school, and who is now a teacher thinking about how he can use Wikipedia in the classroom.
One thing I’ve learned from Wikipedia volunteers is how the day-to-day process of building and improving Wikipedia works. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a social media platform or an opinion page. Contributors to Wikipedia collaborate, debate and discuss their edits in order to write thoughtful, informative articles. They provide citations and sources, they weigh multiple perspectives so that they can make good faith decisions about content together. They embrace the spirit of collaboration across national borders to provide the most accurate information possible for the world. They set and enforce rules for what does and doesn’t belong on the projects, guided by a universal code of conduct and supported by the Foundation’s commitment to human rights standards.
Wikipedia directly reflects some of the Sustainable Development Goals. Our projects contribute to inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all people. Our Foundation programs prioritize the advancement of gender equality and empowering all women and girls. But there is no SDG that can be achieved if individuals and communities lack a wide range of well-sourced, accurate knowledge.
Reliable, verified facts need people to discover, report, research, curate, translate, analyze and organize them. Which means that the people who do such work - including Wikipedians - need to be protected.
We are experimenting with ways that AI tools can help Wikipedians do their work while keeping humans in control of the facts. There is much discussion here in New York at the UN this week about AI regulation. We certainly believe that any company or organization that deploys AI should be held accountable to and by those affected.
Finally, we must not lose sight of the people who governments have the ultimate duty to protect. We need to make sure that laws and regulations targeting technology also protect the people who are out there at the coal face of the fight against disinformation: people who discover, report, share, and curate knowledge - including facts that may be inconvenient to people with the power to silence them.
Thanks for listening.
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Karan Bhatia
Global Head, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google
Excellencies and distinguished guests:
Thank you for the opportunity to present an internet industry perspective. This will not be news to participants in this room, but as we look to engage others in this effort, including those viewing this discussion online, I think it important to note that the FOC was created to address misuses of digital technologies and threats to human rights online. It seeks to shape global norms through joint action.
As a company deeply engaged with these issues, we have worked closely with FOC since its inception. As we continue this joint effort, I would like to emphasize three things.
Joint Action
First, the importance of joint action. We are right to speak of the worldwide web and the global internet. This technology literally spans the planet. But not equally: not with equal percentages of users on each continent or in each country; not with identical challenges to human rights in each locale. We cannot presume that any one group, or even governments and industry alone, can define a solution for everyone everywhere. In my years working on these issues, I have concluded that to be genuinely global, one must be radically local. We need a whole of society approach: governments and industry, yes, but also academics and think tanks, specialist consultants, civil society, and individual human rights defenders, who bring to light and challenge wrongs that we might otherwise overlook. We need a multi-stakeholder approach that collectively defines problems, explores solution parameters, agrees on success metrics that matter to people most at risk, and evolves as we gain experience.
So how does Microsoft approach this challenge?
Ecosystems and Access. In the absence of digital ecosystems and broad internet access we cannot meaningfully speak of digital harms and threats to human rights online. To solve local problems we need local ingenuity. We seek to enable this through programs like our Global Skills Initiative, providing free online learning opportunities through GitHub and LinkedIn. We have empowered with new digital skills more than 30 million people in 249 countries and territories.
Of course, online learning only helps if you can get online. Approximately 2.7 billion people—roughly one third of the world’s population—still do not have access to the internet. Microsoft believes that internet access and meaningful connectivity is a fundamental right. We actively engage in expanding internet access through, for example, our Airband Initiative. We have committed to working with a global ecosystem of partners to bring internet access to 250 million people in unserved and underserved communities around the world, including 100 million Africans, by the end of 2025.
Cybersecurity, Online Safety, and Fundamental Rights
But if our goal is to unleash the constructive potential of digital ecosystems, then providing internet access and learning opportunities are only two pieces of a much larger puzzle. With all the bad actors in the world we need also to address cybersecurity and online safety. This
includes active defense of the internet ecosystem against hackers, including those sponsored by nation states, but it extends to education of end users on how they can reduce their exposure to security threats, and provision of cybersecurity services like AcccountGuard to protect high-risk, highly-targeted organizations.
Respect for Human Rights
Respect for fundamental rights, including the human rights to dignity, agency, privacy, and freedom of expression underpins all of Microsoft’s work. I have the privilege of heading up Microsoft’s human rights team, bringing that perspective to engineering and product engagements across the company, from the principled, rights-respecting, content moderation policies applies to operation of Bing across the globe, to the development and implementation of Microsoft’s Responsible AI policies and practices.
Digital Literacy
Allow me to conclude by addressing a question posed to me by the organizers of this panel. What is the potential cost of a misstep in the realm of digital technologies and the internet? Obvious harms might be irretrievable loss of privacy, or pervasive violations of the rights to freedom of expression or access to information. Those are major concerns. At least equally important is the need to develop and implement regulatory safeguards regarding the deployment of generative artificial intelligence.
But I believe one of the human rights most threatened in our era, a right that has received too little attention to date, is the human right of citizens anywhere in the world to participate freely and meaningfully in democratic decision-making. That, after all, is at the heart of the human rights to dignity, agency and self-determination. We cannot put a price on that.
So I will end my comments by pointing to the urgency of doing more to address what Microsoft calls Digital Literacy. This is the ability to navigate a digital world using reading, writing, and, perhaps most importantly, critical thinking skills. This will require unprecedented levels of collaboration, across governments, industry, civil society, educators, really, all of society.
There is no silver bullet to stop the flood of harmful speech on the internet. In part this is related to the human right to express wrongly-held, even strongly objectionable opinions. We can counter extreme edge cases, but the past decade has demonstrated the harm that mis- and dis-information can cause in the world.
While we continue to battle this plague, I believe there is opportunity to do more to empower netizens, those who rely on what they see and read on the internet as they form their political opinions. This is why Microsoft, along with many other partners, is developing cryptographic solutions that can assure online content origins and histories, including whether content has been manipulated. We believe that trusted content provenance and labeling can help build more informed and resilient citizenries. Microsoft is a founding member of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) and is working with partners to leverage such provenance tools not just to improve confidence in news stories on the internet, but to do things like document and protect legal evidence of the destruction of cultural heritage sites in Ukraine.
I think of digital literacy as a form of immunization. Microsoft has posted numerous training resources online, and we will continue to expand those. Especially as we bring tens and hundreds of millions, eventually billions, of new users to the global internet, we owe it to them to help equip them with tools to assess and make better sense of what they see and read. We hope the FOC can play a role in this important work. I would urge that expanding and deepening digital literacy is one of the most practical steps we, together, can take to advance democracies and the protection of human rights.
Thank you.
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Steve Crown
Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Human Rights, Microsoft
Excellencies and distinguished guests:
Thank you for the opportunity to present an internet industry perspective. This will not be news to participants in this room, but as we look to engage others in this effort, including those viewing this discussion online, I think it important to note that the FOC was created to address misuses of digital technologies and threats to human rights online. It seeks to shape global norms through joint action.
As a company deeply engaged with these issues, we have worked closely with FOC since its inception. As we continue this joint effort, I would like to emphasize three things.
Joint Action
First, the importance of joint action. We are right to speak of the worldwide web and the global internet. This technology literally spans the planet. But not equally: not with equal percentages of users on each continent or in each country; not with identical challenges to human rights in each locale. We cannot presume that any one group, or even governments and industry alone, can define a solution for everyone everywhere. In my years working on these issues, I have concluded that to be genuinely global, one must be radically local. We need a whole of society approach: governments and industry, yes, but also academics and think tanks, specialist consultants, civil society, and individual human rights defenders, who bring to light and challenge wrongs that we might otherwise overlook. We need a multi-stakeholder approach that collectively defines problems, explores solution parameters, agrees on success metrics that matter to people most at risk, and evolves as we gain experience.
So how does Microsoft approach this challenge?
Ecosystems and Access
In the absence of digital ecosystems and broad internet access we cannot meaningfully speak of digital harms and threats to human rights online. To solve local problems we need local ingenuity. We seek to enable this through programs like our Global Skills Initiative, providing free online learning opportunities through GitHub and LinkedIn. We have empowered with new digital skills more than 30 million people in 249 countries and territories.
Of course, online learning only helps if you can get online. Approximately 2.7 billion people—roughly one third of the world’s population—still do not have access to the internet. Microsoft believes that internet access and meaningful connectivity is a fundamental right. We actively engage in expanding internet access through, for example, our Airband Initiative. We have committed to working with a global ecosystem of partners to bring internet access to 250 million people in unserved and underserved communities around the world, including 100 million Africans, by the end of 2025.
Cybersecurity, Online Safety, and Fundamental Rights
But if our goal is to unleash the constructive potential of digital ecosystems, then providing internet access and learning opportunities are only two pieces of a much larger puzzle. With all the bad actors in the world we need also to address cybersecurity and online safety. This
includes active defense of the internet ecosystem against hackers, including those sponsored by nation states, but it extends to education of end users on how they can reduce their exposure to security threats, and provision of cybersecurity services like AcccountGuard to protect high-risk, highly-targeted organizations.
Respect for Human Rights
Respect for fundamental rights, including the human rights to dignity, agency, privacy, and freedom of expression underpins all of Microsoft’s work. I have the privilege of heading up Microsoft’s human rights team, bringing that perspective to engineering and product engagements across the company, from the principled, rights-respecting, content moderation policies applies to operation of Bing across the globe, to the development and implementation of Microsoft’s Responsible AI policies and practices.
Digital Literacy
Allow me to conclude by addressing a question posed to me by the organizers of this panel. What is the potential cost of a misstep in the realm of digital technologies and the internet? Obvious harms might be irretrievable loss of privacy, or pervasive violations of the rights to freedom of expression or access to information. Those are major concerns. At least equally important is the need to develop and implement regulatory safeguards regarding the deployment of generative artificial intelligence.
But I believe one of the human rights most threatened in our era, a right that has received too little attention to date, is the human right of citizens anywhere in the world to participate freely and meaningfully in democratic decision-making. That, after all, is at the heart of the human rights to dignity, agency and self-determination. We cannot put a price on that.
So I will end my comments by pointing to the urgency of doing more to address what Microsoft calls Digital Literacy. This is the ability to navigate a digital world using reading, writing, and, perhaps most importantly, critical thinking skills. This will require unprecedented levels of collaboration, across governments, industry, civil society, educators, really, all of society.
There is no silver bullet to stop the flood of harmful speech on the internet. In part this is related to the human right to express wrongly-held, even strongly objectionable opinions. We can counter extreme edge cases, but the past decade has demonstrated the harm that mis- and dis-information can cause in the world.
While we continue to battle this plague, I believe there is opportunity to do more to empower netizens, those who rely on what they see and read on the internet as they form their political opinions. This is why Microsoft, along with many other partners, is developing cryptographic solutions that can assure online content origins and histories, including whether content has been manipulated. We believe that trusted content provenance and labeling can help build more informed and resilient citizenries. Microsoft is a founding member of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) and is working with partners to leverage such provenance tools not just to improve confidence in news stories on the internet, but to do things like document and protect legal evidence of the destruction of cultural heritage sites in Ukraine.
I think of digital literacy as a form of immunization. Microsoft has posted numerous training resources online, and we will continue to expand those. Especially as we bring tens and hundreds of millions, eventually billions, of new users to the global internet, we owe it to them to help equip them with tools to assess and make better sense of what they see and read. We hope the FOC can play a role in this important work. I would urge that expanding and deepening digital literacy is one of the most practical steps we, together, can take to advance democracies and the protection of human rights.
Thank you.
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Established in August 2023, the FOC Task Force on Trustworthy Information Online (TFTIO) is co-Chaired by the Government of Denmark and FOC Advisory Network Member Wikimedia Foundation.
The Task Force will be continuing the work of the Action Coalition on Trustworthy Information Online as established under the Danish Tech for Democracy initiative. Since its outset in the fall of 2021, the Action Coalition’s intention has been to identify solutions to support trustworthy information online. In its new role under the FOC, and with the aim to engage the broader mutlistakeholder community, TFTIO will work to develop and propose policy recommendations for governmental institutions and lawmakers with the goal of safeguarding a healthy online information ecosystem, ensuring people everywhere have the ability to participate in the creation of online information, and access to a broad range of trustworthy information.
In an effort to foster an information ecosystem that supports access to trustworthy information online for everyone, while promoting open-source technology and open knowledge systems, TFTIO will employ three lines of effort: knowledge-sharing, response, and advocacy. The Task Force intends to advocate for strategies and policies that cultivate a thriving digital sphere based on trustworthy information, democratic debate, and open discussions on human rights and democracy online.
The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) is a partnership of 41 governments committed to the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Coalition Members work together, and with all others who share these views, to support Internet freedom and protect human rights – such as freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and privacy rights online – worldwide.
The FOC aims to be a proactive coalition that ensures Internet freedom issues are on the international policy agenda as a way to drive concrete policy changes and outcomes, and shape global norms to promote a rules-based, democratic, and inclusive world where human rights and fundamental freedoms are upheld in online and digital contexts.
To learn more about the FOC’s priorities and activities in 2024 under the Chairship of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, visit www.freedomonlinecoalition.com/aims-and-priorities.
The following statements have been published by State Representatives of the Freedom Online Coalition’s Members.
2023 Freedom Online Coalition
We’ve been extremely focused, thanks to Uzra’s leadership, Nate’s leadership, on all things digital, and we’ve in fact reorganized our department to make sure that we are appropriately resourced and organized to do that. A big part of that, though, is the work of the Freedom Online Coalition, and this combination of partner governments, but also partnership with civil society, the private sector, is absolutely critical to achieving the results that we all seek.
When the coalition was founded over a decade ago, I think you’ve already discussed the fact that the technological landscape was just a little bit different than it is today. And it’s quite remarkable. We were talking about this also in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals when they were elaborated. I think in the initial document there was one reference to the digital space, and now here we are. Some of us were together just the other day also looking at how artificial intelligence might be used to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
But back then, when we were starting the Freedom Online Coalition, we had half as many people as we do today with access to the internet. And that of course is still a work in progress because access remains one of the critical things that we have to achieve. But the internet’s extraordinary potential as a catalyst – to convene new communities literally spanning the globe, to enable individuals to document earth-shaking events with smartphones in their pockets, to galvanize entire movements, as we’ve seen – that was just beginning to be understood. The risks – those posed by everything from surveillance technologies to online harassment and abuse, the spread of disinformation – they were largely absent from the public dialogue. And the next generation of game-changing digital technologies, like generative artificial intelligence, had of course yet to be invented.
So we fast-forward to today – and not exactly a secret to anyone in this room – the internet, other digital technologies, have fundamentally, and maybe more important or just as important, likely forever transformed our societies and our economies; literally and figuratively rewiring how we live, how we work, how we connect. And we’ve all seen digital technologies demonstrating the incredible power of, potential to be drivers for development progress. And we’ve seen the work that can be done to empower people to defend their human rights, which are the foundation, and indeed, in many ways the ultimate goal of development.
We know and we’ve seen the applicability of digital technologies to solving some of the biggest challenges that we face – including achieving the SDGs, and doing that under the 2030 Agenda. Again, you all know this, but it’s a stark reality and it’s one that we have to confront. That reality is that we are far from achieving the goals that we set for 2030, halfway to the deadline that we gave ourselves to hit these targets. We’re on track to hit just 15 percent. That is simply unacceptable. We have progress plateauing on half the goals. On nearly a third, we’ve actually moved backward; we’ve regressed. That’s unacceptable.
Now, obviously there were profound drivers and profound shocks that explain some of this evolution. But again, a big part of this week in New York and maybe the central theme of this General Assembly is to refocus and rededicate ourselves to achieving the SDGs. And there is extraordinary potential to use technology and to work in the digital space to do that.
As I mentioned, on Monday we had this rather remarkable convening of representatives from government, the private sector, civil society to discuss how to deploy AI to reach the SDGs. Policy and international cooperation around digital technologies are another critical part of this discussion. And that’s why I’m so pleased that we’re all together today.
We can develop the best technologies in the world, but if we haven’t determined how to govern them in partnership with those who share our values, these technologies are likely to be misused for repressive or destabilizing purposes, making communities less peaceful, less prosperous, less secure, and unfortunately, more undermining of human rights. They’re also less likely to be leveraged for advancing societal progress around the globe.
The Freedom Online Coalition has demonstrated the potential to be a powerful international platform for all of these discussions – critical discussions, essential discussions, timely discussions. The United States has been very proud to help this organization grow into a major center of action to shape the inclusive, rights-affirming use of digital technologies during our year as chair.
The coalition is taking the lead on countering digital authoritarianism and the misuse of digital technologies. In the spring, the coalition issued guiding principles on surveillance technology designed to advance the responsible use of this technology, to prevent its misuse. Forty-eight countries, including many outside the coalition, have since endorsed these principles, providing the foundation for international action on a key human rights challenge.
And I think it’s important not to understate the power and potential of this, because we’ve seen this time and again. It takes time, but the more you’re able to establish a norm, the more you’re able to create a basic standard, the more adherence you get to that norm, the more powerful the effect. And what seems to be something that’s not a shared idea or ideal in any one moment suddenly becomes, before you know it, exactly that. And that’s a tremendous source of strength. It’s a source of legitimacy to do what we need to do to make sure that technologies are being used for good, not for bad.
The coalition is also focused on advancing human rights in the digital space. We’ll soon issue donor principles for human rights in the digital age, which will help shape how public and private investments in digital innovation are actually made. And it’s also helping to guide – here again – the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
The coalition intends to develop a pledge to incorporate responsible AI practices in government development, procurement, and the use of AI. That’s a mouthful, but it’s also really important. It’s going to commit governments to take an approach to AI systems that actually uphold human rights, international law, democratic values – while managing safety risks. We will put into action our duty to protect human rights under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The United States intends to build on the momentum that we’ve already developed through the rest of this year and then past it. We’ll pass the baton to the incoming chair, the Netherlands, and we’re grateful for the Netherlands’ leadership. And we’re excited to welcome three new members this year – Iceland, Slovakia, South Korea – already making powerful contributions to the coalition’s efforts.
But I think we also recognize that we can’t shape the terms of our technological future through this coalition alone. We need to work with partners from governments in every region of the globe to direct digital technologies toward development, toward human rights, toward the larger global good. And that’s why we’ve asked many of you to join us today.
We’re committed to working with partners to boost access and inclusion to digital technologies. We’re also accelerating work to close the gender digital divide – there are two digital divides. There’s a basic digital divide, where entire countries, in some cases, and communities or parts of countries and others, do not benefit from access. But there’s another digital divide, and that’s the gender digital divide that we have to bridge. And we’re doing that, including through the Women in the Digital Economy initiative that Vice President Harris announced just last spring. This will help make digital technologies more affordable and easier to access. It will improve women and girls’ digital literacy and skills. It will promote online safety and security. It will foster women-led development of digital technologies.
In the days ahead, in the months ahead, in the years ahead, it will ultimately not be our technological capabilities themselves that define our future, but how we choose to use them. And that choice – that choice – is one of the most important that we have before us as people, as societies, as countries, as human beings. The work of people around this table, in this room, listening in online, watching in online is absolutely central to making sure, to the best of our ability, we make the right choice. That’s an enormous responsibility, but one I’m so grateful to see so many are committed to trying to achieve.
Thank you very, very much.
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