At a human rights debate I chaired this week as part of SCVO’s Digital Scotland Festival, Michael Fourman, chair of the
RSE’s Digital Participation inquiry, made the point that digital technology must be seen as what it is: a very powerful tool with the potential to do great things but which can be very dangerous. He also emphasised the role digital technology plays in our ability to access our fundamental human rights.
When we talk about human rights and digital technology, a lot of attention is placed on privacy, particularly mass surveillance and the security and misuse of personal data.
However, too little thought is given to the impact on our economic, social and cultural rights. Our right to education. To work. To rest and leisure. To a cultural life. To an adequate standard of living.
For most people the digital world brings massive opportunities to access and affirm our rights. For example, the internet has changed the way we learn, opened up the labour market to help us find employment and made it easier than ever to access, and get information about, health care.
But, as SCVO’s Chris Yiu put it, whilst the majority will benefit, some will lose out – and they’ll lose out big. Iain Smith from Inclusion Scotland made the point that it’s not just about losing out on opportunities. The digital movement could be a direct cause of further deprivation, poverty and social isolation.
In our quest for inclusive digital participation we talk a great deal about ensuring that everyone is given equal ‘choice’ to be part of the digital world.
However, there is a worrying move to ‘digital by default’, arguably driven by considerations of cost and convenience for the service provider. Digital isn’t just enhancing traditional service delivery, it’s replacing it completely. Where is the choice in that?
But then, as Fourman put it, in today’s digital world we need to be online to effectively access our human rights.
This is a game changer for me. The internet is no longer just ‘nice to have’. It fundamentally drives our world, and anyone not part of it will be left behind.
Towards the end of our debate a participant asked: “why is society always playing catch up?” We’ve come through an industrial revolution and should surely have learnt the lessons from this. The reality is that we are still struggling to combat the mass inequality, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of rights that has emerged and evolved since the start of the industrial revolution and throughout the rest of the 20th century.
Now we are experiencing a new technological revolution which is moving at an unprecedented pace.
If we are to ensure that people can participate and affirm their rights in our fast moving digital world, then we need to hold businesses, government and public service providers to account. We need to challenge digital practice that excludes people. And, despite the huge opportunities digital technology brings, we must ensure we work in a way that does not exclude the very people who need us most.
Last modified on 22 January 2020
