The Global Network Initiative (GNI) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)’s consultation on protecting human rights defenders (HRDs) in the digital age. Digital technologies have transformed both the work of human rights defenders (HRDs) and the nature of the threats and attacks they face. HRDs operate at the forefront of public engagement, increasingly relying on digital tools for communication, monitoring, documentation and advocacy. As these tools evolve, so does the nature of the threats and attacks HRDs face – impacting their safety online and offline.
In its submission, GNI highlights that recent legislative and regulatory trends—covering online safety, information integrity, and cybercrime—pose new risks for HRDs. Measures such as age and identity verification, proactive content monitoring, and proposals affecting encrypted services often lack independent assessments of necessity, proportionality, or potential misuse. Expanding cybercrime legislation and cross-border enforcement mechanisms, as seen in countries including Vietnam, Mexico, and Pakistan, create particular vulnerabilities for HRDs, risking restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and privacy.
The submission also draws attention to the growing use of internet shutdowns, blackouts, social media and website blocking, and technical interference. Experiences in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Iran show how such measures severely impair HRDs’ ability to document violations, communicate securely, and access critical networks and support. These interventions are rarely necessary or proportionate and often proceed without transparency, oversight, or avenues for appeal.
Advances in artificial intelligence further complicate the landscape. While AI can enhance documentation, digital forensics, and verification of citizen journalism, generative and data-aggregating systems also create new risks, including the exposure of sensitive personal information and the spread of manipulated media that can discredit defenders or undermine the evidentiary credibility of their work.
Finally, GNI emphasizes that companies and civil society organizations face structural challenges in addressing these risks, including fragmented regulatory frameworks, conflicting obligations, and pressures on multistakeholder engagement. Together, these dynamics complicate efforts to identify, assess, and mitigate the risks faced by HRDs in the digital age.
About GNI
The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is the leading multistakeholder collaboration of more than 110 members working to protect freedom of expression and privacy in the technology sector. GNI’s work focuses on five priority issue areas: network disruptions, intermediary liability and content regulation, privacy and surveillance, data, information, & network governance, and artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Through these efforts, GNI engages directly with companies, investors, civil society, academics, and policymakers to address risks faced by human rights defenders in digital environments, promoting safeguards that enhance their ability to communicate, document, and advocate safely online.