Global Digital Citizenship

An equitable and inclusive digital transition must include access to digital tools, which are increasingly used in democratic processes (e.g., social media), as well as equitable access to digital spaces, which are currently unregulated. Currently, end-users, digital creators, and online communities face inequitable access, digital discrimination, unregulated policing of both freedom of expression and hate speech, privacy and data protection inconsistencies, and imbalanced surveillance practices.

Unregulated companies operating in the digital space hold the primary concentration of power, limiting the rights of individuals operating on digital platforms. Human rights, particularly economic, social, and political rights must be protected in the digital sphere. The internet and digital technology ignore national borders, operating on a truly global level; an international solution is necessary to address and protect the human rights of all users in the digital space, rather than piecemeal protection granted on the basis of national citizenship or residency. We propose the implementation of a Global Digital Citizenship, which would be endorsed by a new UN Treaty on Human Rights in the digital space. The primary aim of this treaty would be to achieve the institutional recognition of human rights in the digital space to allow users and communities to exercise and defend their rights.

A treaty ensuring Global Digital Citizenship would ensure digital rights, mobilize support for companies, governments, and stakeholders to respect rights in the digital space, as well as ensure the ability of individuals and communities to defend rights. In addition, the Treaty would align with the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, which outlines potential ways to improve user rights in the digital age.

Moreover, a UN Treaty enshrining digital global citizenship would allow rights violations cases to be tried in the International Court of Justice.

Similar to the way in which personal data in the European Union is protected by the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, subsequent violations of data protection can be tried in the European Court of Justice, Global Digital Citizenship would allow citizens to defend their rights in court. Individuals in the European Union can bring cases regarding digital rights to the European court after all domestic institutional attempts to address the situation have been exhausted. This small-scale example demonstrates the value of the future implementation of Global Digital Citizenship.

Implementation of Global Digital Citizenship would involve the creation of an international tool based on the blockchain – perceived to be the most secure system to store and organize data. We anticipate fewer data breaches with this system than we currently face. If an individual reported a rights violation granted by Global Digital Citizenship, the case would automatically be addressed by an internationally accredited court.