Technological advancements affect the future of human rights.
The evolution of technology will have inevitably profound implications for the human rights framework.
From a practical perspective, technology can help move the human rights agenda forward. For instance, the use of satellite data can monitor the flow of displaced people; artificial intelligence can assist with image recognition to gather data on rights abuses; and the use of forensic technology can reconstruct crime scenes and hold perpetrators accountable.
Yet, for the multitude of areas in which emerging technologies advance the human rights agenda, technological developments have equal capacity to undermine efforts. From authoritarian states monitoring political dissidents by way of surveillance technologies, to the phenomenon of “deepfakes” destabilizing the democratic public sphere, ethical and policy-oriented implications must be taken into consideration with the development of technological innovations.
Technological advancements also introduce new actors to the human rights framework. The movement has historically focused on the role of the state in ensuring rights and justice. Today, technological advancements and the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, in particular, necessitate interaction, collaboration, and coordination with leaders from business and technology in addition to government.
The Carr Center's Technology and Human Rights Program brings together the Technology and Human Rights Fellowship, with a new cohort selected each academic year to perform research on the challenges of technology to the human rights framework. Additionally, the program hosts the Towards Life 3.0: Ethics and Technology in the 21st Century webinar series, which draws upon a range of scholars, tech leaders, and public interest technologists to address the ethical aspects of the long-term impact of AI on society and human life.
A new theme within the Technology and Human Rights Fellowship gives special focus to research on the theme of “Surveillance Capitalism or Democracy: Who Knows, Who Decides?” This cohort connects fellows' projects to the research in Shoshana Zuboff's 2019 book, The Age Surveillance Capitalism, and Mathias Risse’s 2023 book, Political Theory of the Digital Age. This portion of the Technology and Human Rights Fellowship is co-directed by Mathias Risse and Shoshana Zuboff.
Our Technology and Human Rights Fellows
Linda Bonyo
Founder of the Laywers Hub
Ann Kristen Glenster
Executive Director, Glenlead Centre
Julia-Silvana Hofstetter
Senior Advisor,
ICT4Peace Foundation
Burcu Kilic
Senior Fellow, Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Emre Kizilkaya
Manager, Journo
Nai Lee Kalema
PhD Candidate, Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
University College London
Lisa LeVasseur
Founder, Executive Director, and Research Director
Internet Safety Labs
Patrick K. Lin
Attorney, Digital Technology & Human Rights Group
Eisenberg & Baum, LLP
Helena Malikova
Directorate General for Competition at the European Commission
Victor M. Montori
Robert H. and Susan M. Rewoldt Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic
Nicole Ozer
Technology and
Civil Liberties Director,
ACLU of Northern California
Pariroo Rattan
PhD Candidate, Science, Technology and Policy Studies,
Harvard Kennedy School
Anna Romandash
Author, Women of Ukraine: Reportages from the War and Beyond
Sebastian Smart
Researcher,
Anglia Ruskin University
Lex Zard
Ph.D. Leiden University School of Law
From Our Tech & Human Rights Fellows