Current challenges of the harmful use of digital technologies and the challenges it poses to Human Rights

The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. With the Internet, this human right has been more threatened. Many people have found digital platforms a safe space to openly incite hatred toward others based on their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Some have used academic credentials and formats (i.e. documentaries, lectures, educational materials) to present stigmatizing conspiracy theories as truth, discourses that have often been used as justification for violent acts.

Due to the threats posed to human rights by the harmful use of digital technologies, I would like to propose a workshop in which I will give a brief overview of how digital capitalism poses serious challenges to human rights and then encourage the audience to find solutions that encourage the use of digital media for peace. In this workshop I will use the same methodology that I have applied with undergraduate students, dividing the audience into groups to develop strategies to address different types of harmful Internet uses: religious intolerance; racism; antisemitism; stigmatizing misinformation. After presenting your ideas, I will offer some constructive feedback.