The Liberal Principles of Digitalisation and Human Rights

We liberals,

Recognizing that the irreversible proliferation of digital technologies provides new avenues to exercise human rights and ingenuity for the betterment of society, including in denouncing electoral fraud,

Also recognizing that the same technologies are too often used to violate human rights and restrict freedoms to an unprecedented degree,

Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, European Commission Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, and Manila Principles on Intermediary Liability,

Adopt these principles to guide liberal member parties in their policies and practices towards securing the protection of human rights and freedoms in the digital age.

1. Any human rights respected in the physical world must be equally respected in digital form.
2. Any legislation and technical tools put in place affecting human rights must be proportional and robust enough to be acceptable under any government, benevolent or not.
3. Access to information and communications technology and the right to information should be inclusive, where no part of the world or group in society is left behind.
4. Openly and persistently denounce and work against the use of internet shutdowns as a hindrance for enjoyment of human rights such as access to information, freedom of expression, health, education, and work.
5. Strengthen policies and work towards the development of a common framework to combat cybercrime and breaches of privacy and personal data security, ensuring transparency and due process when fighting cybercrime.
6. Resist the introduction of any kind of legislation on or undermining storage encryption, which risks infringing on the rights to privacy and data protection.
7. Oppose mass surveillance and develop alternative instruments, policies, and approaches to prevent and combat crime without degrading the privacy and software security of the entire society and every human being.
8. The transparency, accountability, and comprehensibility of tech companies and governments for their use of data and data retention must be increased, also ensuring that individuals know when their data is being collected and what it will be used for.
9. Transparency, accountability, and comprehensibility in the use of artificial intelligence and emerging and disruptive technologies must be ensured, to clarify chains of responsibility and ensure traceability in decision-making, and to allow societal oversight of the algorithms that have a significant impact on the lives of citizens.
10. Legislation on content moderation, aimed at managing hate speech, disinformation, or other malicious content online, must not arbitrarily restrict the freedom of speech or encourage private companies to pre-emptively censor content.