Glossary
Digital Rights
Human rights as exercised in digital environments, including privacy, expression, association, equality and access to information.
Last reviewed 2026-08-22
In plain language
Digital rights is a civil-society and legal framing that insists existing human rights apply online and in automated systems. It is not a separate catalogue of weaker “tech ethics.” Organizations such as Access Now and ARTICLE 19, together with UN special procedures, have developed this field across internet governance and, increasingly, AI policy.
Why it matters for AI governance
AI governance debates that ignore digital-rights practice tend to reinvent privacy, speech and due-process protections poorly. Connecting the two fields is a core purpose of this directory.