A digital framework for a future

where everyone in the digital

world can enjoy the right to safety,
freedom and dignity.
[Link]
 Imagine a future in which all citizens
of the global digital ecosystem, no
matter who they are or where they
live, can enjoy equal rights to safety,
freedom, and dignity.

This means:

Equal protection from persecution, And just as the efforts of individual

discrimination, and abuse nations alone can never solve a
worldwide environmental crisis, nor
Equal access to information, can we rely on separate national laws
opportunity, and community and policies to guide, regulate, and
care for our global digital ecosystem.
Equal respect for privacy, identity,
and self-expression To achieve universal equality of safety,
freedom, and dignity in our digital
Such a future can only become a future, we need a universal approach
reality if governments and leaders to defining, upholding, and advancing
around the world put into place mutual digital rights – for everyone.
and binding agreements
to uphold these rights, to minimize The Alliance for Universal Digital
opportunities for their infringement, Rights (AUDRi) was formed in 2022
and to develop universal mechanisms by two international gender equality
to hold violators to account. and advocacy organizations, Equality
Now and Women Leading in AI.
The Alliance for Because the digital environment,
Universal Digital Rights (AUDRi) like the natural environment, We are calling for the adoption of a
was formed in 2022 by two transcends borders. universal digital rights framework,
international gender equality and rooted in human rights law and
advocacy organizations, Equality Now underpinned by an intersectional
and Women Leading in AI. feminist, anti-discrimination analysis.
Introducing Nine principles
our digital for a future where
framework everyone in the
digital world can
enjoy the right to
safety, freedom
and dignity.
 UNIVERSAL THE DIGITAL PRINCIPLES

AND EQUAL RIGHTS


Everyone is equal before the law and entitled to
equal protection of the law, including in the digital
Everyone has an equal right realm, its ecosystem, and the metaverse.

to protection, opportunity, 
Everyone is entitled to equal protection from all
forms of discrimination, including, but not limited to,
and respect, including in discrimination on the grounds of sex (including
the digital realm. grounds related to pregnancy, childbirth, gender
identity, intersex status, and sexual orientation), race,
ethnicity, color, social or economic class, disability,
religion (with the understanding that such protections
do not extend to defending/excusing discrimination
against others on the grounds of sex and/or gender
equality), language, political opinion, national origin,
Article 1 of the UN Declaration on But if our digital selves are not descent, veteran status, genetic information, marital
Human Rights states that “all human afforded the same human rights as status, and age.
beings are born free and equal in our physical selves, the very people
dignity and rights.” This means that who experience intersecting forms 
Human rights, as envisaged in international and
the rights of all members of the of discrimination and prejudice in national laws, shall be interpreted with a gendered and
human family are equal, and every the real world will continue to be intersectional lens to ensure that they are enforced
person must be respected, protected, subjugated and denied their human equally and fairly in the digital realm, so as to address
and provided with an opportunity to rights within the digital ecosystem, any gendered digital discrimination and inequality.
fulfill their interests and realize their and be subjected to new and 
human rights. amplified forms of discrimination. Equality by design principles should be included at the
design stage of algorithmic decision-making systems
Digital technologies and services The systems and processes by which and digital technologies to prevent discrimination and
provide historically discriminated- digital services and technologies are harmful biases being amplified and/or perpetuated.
against groups with new developed, accessed, and regulated
opportunities to overcome must be underpinned by non-
dominant societal, cultural, discrimination and equality to ensure
traditional, and mobility barriers. that our fundamental human rights
remain universally upheld – including
in the digital world.

01.
 PERSONAL SAFETY THE DIGITAL PRINCIPLES

AND DATA PRIVACY


Everyone has the right to the 
Everyone has the right to control
protection of the data that their digital legacy and to decide
Everyone has a right to control concerns them – and to be able to
understand, in very simple terms,
what happens with the publicly
available information that concerns
information about themselves how that data is processed. them after their death.
and to secure protection from 
No one shall be subjected to 
Digital service providers must be
digital harms. arbitrary interference of this right,
and any limitation of this right
held accountable as more than
mere conduits for user-generated
shall be reasonable, necessary, content, particularly that involving
proportionate, and justifiable. hate speech, incitement to cause
 harm, and/or the exploitation and
Any processing of data shall be fair, abuse of women, girls, and other
lawful, and transparent, adhering discriminated-against groups and
The right to privacy underpins our Digital privacy is also about safety. to data processing principles set marginalized people.
use and enjoyment of other human The internet is rife with bullying out in international norms and
rights. It encompasses the right and harassment, while the online standards. 
States must accept an obligation
to privacy in family life, the home, exploitation and abuse of women,  to safeguard citizens from online
and correspondence, and freedom girls, and children has reached Particular attention should be abuse, misogyny, and hate crime,
from attacks on a person’s honor or unprecedented global proportions. afforded to the structural issue of including by conducting swift,
reputation. At the same time, digital technologies intimate privacy violations against cross-jurisdictional investigations
and services are increasingly being women, girls, and people of and upholding the right of victims
In the digital realm, the right to used for manipulation and suppression marginalized genders. to obtain appropriate and holistic
privacy is not just about the right of dissent, including through the use 
Everyone has a right to protection remedies.
to be left alone. With our personal of smart devices by domestic against unfettered forms of 
data increasingly being extracted abusers to monitor and control Protection from abuse should
surveillance, including in places include all forms of online sexual
and analyzed to inform and fuel women’s behavior. of work and education and during
algorithmic decisions that affect exploitation and abuse, including
civic participation. The use of sexual harassment, stalking
every aspect of our lives, the right The lack of recognition and facial recognition or biometric
to privacy is also about protecting enforceability of the digital right to and tracking, coercive control,
technologies must be regulated, technology-enabled sex trafficking,
our rights to justice, dignity, privacy results in women, girls, and necessary, and proportional.
and autonomy. other discriminated-against groups livestreaming of sexual abuse, child
and marginalized people lacking 
Everyone has the right to sexual abuse material, and image-
protection from – and redress for – encryption and online anonymity. based sexual abuse, including
serious harms to their careers, safety, Sharing of data with third parties, through deepfake sex videos.
and social freedom, as well as to their including law enforcement
dignity, bodily integrity, and autonomy. agencies and the private sector,
must be limited to what is
reasonable, necessary, and
proportional.
02.
 DIGITAL SELF - THE DIGITAL PRINCIPLES

DETERMINATION

Everyone has the right not to be 
There should be no judicial or
treated unfairly or be discriminated administrative order or decision
Everyone has a right to against – or disproportionately
denied their rights – because
that could significantly impact
an individual based solely on the
exercise self-determination of automated decisions made automated processing of personal
in the use of digital about them based solely on data
collected or inferred from their
and other data which has been
collected to establish the profile
technologies. digital footprint. or personality of that person.

Everyone, including women, girls, 
Equality by design principles,
and other discriminated-against including human rights and gender
groups and marginalized people, rights impact assessments,
should be able to exercise self- should be incorporated into the
determination in the digital age. development of any algorithmic
The right to self-determination refers While historical data can be useful, decision-making systems or digital
to our ability to fully exercise our for example, in facilitating the 
Everyone has a right to the technologies prior to going to
agency in choosing our own destiny, identification and understanding of complete and up-to-date market, to prevent discrimination
including through freely determining trends on emerging social issues representation of their identity and harmful biases being amplified
our political status and pursuing and in real-time crises, it is not on the internet. and/or perpetuated.
our economic, social, and cultural neutral. Data represents society 
development. as it is, including its layers of social Preventative measures and 
Inferences generated by big data
inequality and discrimination. If it is safeguards should be implemented should be limited to safeguard
Digital technologies can be used not used uncritically and with no controls, to prevent unfair, biased, and people’s autonomy of choice and
just to monitor and categorize, but also it perpetuates existing oppression and arbitrary decisions being made freedom. Sensitive information
to influence. Vast amounts of digital leaves people – particularly women, about a person, and there should should not be used to the detriment
data are used to train models that girls, and other discriminated-against be meaningful transparency around of the person, or to infer personal
contain the same biases that exist in groups and marginalized people – the criteria used for decision- information, including their religion
the real world, including those based less able to choose, challenge, or making. or sexual orientation.
on race, gender, and socioeconomic change their own destiny. Artificial 
A presumption of algorithmic bias
status. With predictive technologies intelligence and machine learning should be considered, to better
increasingly supporting the creation can also exaggerate existing biases, balance the burden of proof, and
of government policies about how resulting in further discrimination and to encourage the adoption of bias
public services and resources are harms. mitigation tools and controls.
accessed and allocated, such biases
can interfere with people’s freedom of
choice and affect their ability to make
their own decisions.

03.
 DIGITAL ACCESS THE DIGITAL PRINCIPLES

FOR ALL

Everyone has the right to participate in the digital realm
and to access, regardless of their geographical location,
Everyone has a right to universally available internet services and digital
technology at an affordable price.
access the digital realm and 
States should enact policies promoting universal and
to be free to participate in equal access to the internet, including recognizing
digital life. and addressing existing gender and intersectional
inequalities.

States should enact policies prohibiting the arbitrary
and deliberate slowing and/or cutting off of the internet
on any grounds, including public order or national
security grounds.
The full realization of human This is an issue that particularly 
potential requires universal rights to affects women, girls, and other Interfaces, content, and applications must be designed
education, to freedom of expression discriminated-against groups and inclusively to ensure accessibility for all, including
and information, to assembly and marginalized people, who are more people with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities,
association, and to full participation vulnerable to coercive control and people who are not literate, and people who speak
in and enjoyment of economic, social, unequal power relationships. On minority languages. The principle of inclusive design
cultural, civil, and political life. average, women’s access to digital and the use of assistive technologies must be promoted
and mobile technology is about and supported to allow persons with disabilities to
To participate fully in the modern 85% of the level for men, while benefit fully and on equal terms.
world, everyone requires equal globally, about 327 million fewer
access to the internet and digital women than men have a smartphone
technologies. However, around 3.7 and access to mobile internet.
billion people – comprising nearly
half of the world’s population – do The ability to freely engage with
not enjoy such access. People living the digital world is negatively
in remote areas are less likely to affected by factors including
use the internet than those in more misogyny, hate speech, identity theft,
urban areas, and people who face defamation, online sexual exploitation
intersectional inequalities are more and harassment – all of which
likely to be excluded from using digital disproportionately affect women,
technologies and services. girls, and other discriminated-against
groups and marginalized people.

04.
 Cont. The right to digital freedom of
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION expression is of particular relevance
AND ASSOCIATION These complexities mean that
mechanisms must be put into place
to women and girls, who frequently
face gender-based violence and
to ensure intersectional, feminist- harassment online, including via
informed application of the right intimate image sexual abuse intended
Everyone has a right to to free expression and association to silence, shame, and oppress.
freedom of expression, within the digital realm, and that any
limitation of this right is necessary,
This includes politicians, journalists,
and other communication workers
peaceful assembly, and proportionate, and justifiable. contributing to public debate on the
internet. Without adequate protection,
association online. all women risk being excluded from
full and equal participation online.

THE DIGITAL PRINCIPLES

The right to free expression and Some forms of online expression 

Everyone has the right to hold opinions without
association underpins the freedom to are indeed harmful – harassment or interference, regardless of frontiers.
seek, receive, and impart information, stalking; the incitement of violence

Everyone has the right to seek, receive, and impart
and to associate freely for social, against others based on their race,
political, cultural, or other purposes. religion, or gender; the generation or non-harmful and non-exploitative information freely,
It is also related to rights to freedom distribution of hate speech and mis/ through any medium, including on the internet, without
of thought, conscience, and religion. disinformation. But ill-defined and censorship or other arbitrary interference by the State,
unchecked infringement of the right to non-State actors, and private actors.
Online activities are considered free expression has created a culture 
Everyone has the right to associate freely, including
expression, and so are protected of censorship in which political dissent through and on the internet, for social, political, cultural,
under existing rights to free can be suppressed, and the voices of or other purposes.
expression and association. However, victims and survivors can be silenced.
this right is frequently infringed upon 
The internet and digital technologies must be protected
– both by governments and by private from all attempts to silence women, girls, and other
companies – for purported national people from discriminated-against groups.
security reasons and/or through 
Any restriction to the right to freedom of
unevenly applied online content
expression and association must be provided by law
moderation policies and practices.
and must be necessary, proportionate, and justifiable
in a democratic society.

05.
 SECURE, STABLE AND THE DIGITAL PRINCIPLES

RESILIENT NETWORKS

Everyone has the right to a secure, stable, and resilient
internet.
Everyone has a right to 
The rights to liberty and security must be respected,
benefit from secure, stable, protected, and fulfilled online and through the use of
digital technologies.
and resilient digital networks 
These rights must not be infringed upon or used to
and technologies. infringe other rights,in the online environment or
through digital technologies.

Network security must be guaranteed in the public
interest, ensuring infrastructure integrity and protection
from external attacks and in the interest of individuals.
Existing international human rights Secure, stable, resilient digital 
Inviolability of digital technologies should be
law dictates that everyone has an networks keep people safe and maintained. The IT systems and devices of every person
equal right to personal and social protect their digital rights by enabling and the freedom and confidentiality of their electronic
protection and liberty, to freedom everyone, from children and teachers information and communications are inviolable.
from exploitation and surveillance, to journalists and whistleblowers, Exceptions and limitations should be exercised only
and to a social and international to lawfully express themselves and when it is necessary and proportionate to do so.
order that enables maintenance and access information online without
improvement of quality of life. fear of retribution. With the digital
world transcending both national and
As a global public resource, the jurisdictional borders, achieving this
internet should be a reliable and stability requires collaboration across
trustworthy network for everyone. the public, private, and civil sectors.
But the security of the internet It also requires protection from
and other digital networks is often services and protocols that threaten
undermined by unlawful surveillance, security and from abuse of data and
monitoring, and interception of identities.
users’ private online activity or
communications, either for individual Fears about digital safety and security
or commercial gain or to suppress are disproportionately preventing
political dissent. women, girls, and other discriminated-
against groups and marginalized
people from accessing and enjoying
the internet. This, in turn, is limiting
their ability to realize their rights and
to engage in the digital economy.
participation online.
06.
 LINGUISTIC AND THE DIGITAL PRINCIPLES

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Everyone has the right to access culturally and
linguistically diverse knowledge and information in
Everyone has a right to use an accessible format, where this can be reasonably
accommodated.
any language of their choice 
Technical and policy innovation should be encouraged
to create and share digital to facilitate the diversity, accessibility, and plurality of
information. culture on the internet and in digital spaces.

National, regional, and local administrations,
governments, and publicly-funded international
organizations must ensure transparency and
accountability by placing any publicly relevant
information they produce and manage in the public
Linguistic and cultural diversity Internet accessibility is more than domain.
enriches the development of society. the ability to obtain a device and a 
All individuals and communities have wireless connection, yet there is They should ensure that this information is disseminated
the right to use their own language currently no requirement for global and made available on the internet and in digital spaces
– or any language of their choice – digital platforms and services to using compatible and open formats and is accessible
to create, share, and engage with reflect the linguistic and cultural to people with particular access challenges, such as
information and knowledge without diversity that exists in the real world. persons with a disability, those using older computers,
being exposed to harm. While some languages, such as mobile devices, or with slow internet connections.
Hindi (India) and Mandarin (China), 
Digital technologies and the internet should reflect and
As more people shift their lives are gaining both dominance and respect the linguistic and cultural diversity of the world.
online, the lack of linguistic and representation in societal and digital
cultural diversity in digital spaces contexts alike, other languages that 
Technical development must encourage
is becoming increasingly apparent. are dominant in physical spaces, linguistic diversity on the internet and
Minority languages are often excluded such as Swahili (East Africa) and simplify the exchange of information
from digital contexts in favor of Yoruba (Nigeria), remain woefully across language barriers.
eurocentric languages such as English. underrepresented online.
Meanwhile, software and applications
are overwhelmingly developed for Feminist activism shows us that the
the so-called majority, resulting in ability to speak one’s language is
limited moderation of online content in key to seeking refuge and breaking
other languages and the subsequent isolation. It is, therefore, crucial that
exposure of users of those languages the erasure of the languages and
to online harm. cultures of marginalized groups in
the real world is not replicated in the
digital realm.

07.
 Cont. guidance on the expected behavior
UNIVERSAL STANDARDS and liability of digital technology
AND REGULATION Similarly, without regulation, the
inevitable environmental impact of
companies. It is imperative that this
framework is rooted in a feminist,
the construction and maintenance intersectional analysis and developed
of digital infrastructure, and of the alongside women, girls, and other
Everyone has an equal right extraction of natural resources discriminated-against groups and
to benefit from the for use in digital technologies, are
disproportionately felt by women,
marginalized people to ensure their
needs are met instead of codifying
development and use of digital girls, and Indigenous communities. inequality into best practice and
A new regulatory framework is regulatory conformity.
technology. required to provide clarity and

THE DIGITAL PRINCIPLES

Everyone in the world is equal before Currently, the internet and digital 
Digital technologies and architecture shall be based on
the law. We all have an equal right to technologies are predominantly binding, open standards that ensure inclusion and equal
contribute to and benefit from the regulated and governed through opportunity for all. Content created and shared through
development of our shared society, industry standards and voluntary the internet or digital networks shall be moderated
and we are all, without discrimination, codes, which are driven by the based on human rights principles.
entitled to equal protection and equal private sector and lack transparency,

States shall mandate technology companies,
enjoyment of our human rights. coherence, and formal government
oversight. This has encouraged companies that develop digital technologies, and digital
The digital realm has become unhealthy competition and resulted and internet service providers to adopt human rights-
so ubiquitous as to be virtually in uneven and inadequate protection based approaches in the development of their content
inseparable from the real world. of users’ rights, exacerbated by the moderation policies and practices.
As such, the architecture and inability under current frameworks 
The internet’s architecture, communication systems,
development of digital networks, to hold digital service providers and and document and data formats shall be based on
technologies, and services must platforms liable for illegal or harmful open standards that ensure complete interoperability,
be based on binding, universal user-generated content. This has universality, integrity, openness, inclusion, and equal
standards that adopt a human- serious implications for the safety, opportunity for all.
rights based approach. freedom, and dignity of women, girls,
and other discriminated-against 
Notified bodies and national committees should meet
groups and marginalized people, diversity targets in relation to representation, supported
who are routinely exploited, abused, by governments, and should put into place processes
and harassed online by perpetrators and funds to enable wider stakeholder participation.
acting with impunity. 
States should take steps to minimize the energy
consumption of the internet and digital technologies
and minimize harm from the extraction of natural
resources to fuel new technologies.
08.
 GOOD DIGITAL THE DIGITAL PRINCIPLES

GOVERNANCE

Internet governance should be multilateral, transparent,
and democratic, with the full involvement of all relevant
Everyone has the right to stakeholders, including governments, the private sector,
civil society, and the people most negatively impacted –
multilateral, democratic including women, girls, and other discriminated-against
oversight of the internet and groups and marginalized people.

digital technologies. All decision-making processes related to the
governance and development of the digital space
should be open and accessible at international, regional,
and national levels.

International human rights standards, the rule of law,
and social justice must form the legal and normative
In a democratic society, every New forms of binding governance and foundations upon which the internet is operated,
citizen has a right to live and be participation need to be established governed, and regulated.
governed within a transparent for the digital realm to ensure better 
national and international system protection of our rights and freedoms There must be recourse for illegal interference and
and a right to enjoy the freedom to to both safety and privacy, and violations of human rights in the digital sphere. This shall
access and participate in to provide more effective access happen in a transparent and multilateral manner based
public life. to recourse where infringements on principles of openness, inclusive participation, and
occur. The input of governments, accountability.
The internet was created with the technology companies, human rights
utopian vision of an accessible, organizations, civil society actors, and
inclusive society that everyone in the victims/survivors is needed to uphold
world could inhabit democratically. and expand human rights to the fullest
But decades later, commercial extent possible.
interests have taken over, and far from
being a space of freedom, the internet
has become rife with misogyny,
violence, and hate. Unchecked
development of digital technologies
and networks has negatively impacted
women, girls, and other discriminated-
against groups and marginalized
people.

09.
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