Human rights principles Archives | Page 2 of 162

UK urges businesses to make essential digital services more accessible

The UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has urged businesses to make essential digital services more accessible, reliable and easier to use, arguing that better service design is key to reducing digital exclusion.

In an open letter to industry leaders, DSIT noted that digital platforms are now central to everyday activities such as banking, bill payments, transport and access to information. It invited businesses to work with government to improve the accessibility and usability of essential online services.

The department warned that digital exclusion extends beyond internet access and technical skills. Around 27% of UK adults are classified as ‘narrow internet users’, while 43% rely on someone else to complete online tasks, suggesting that many existing digital services remain difficult to use.

The initiative encourages organisations to simplify digital journeys, consider the needs of disabled users and people at risk of digital exclusion, and maintain strong standards for safety, privacy and security. DSIT is seeking industry support for shared standards, a cross-sector roadmap and practical improvements to service design.

Why does it matter?

The initiative reflects a growing recognition that digital inclusion depends not only on internet access, but also on whether online services are designed to be understandable, accessible and usable for diverse groups of people. Poorly designed digital services can create barriers even for those who are already connected.

By encouraging voluntary collaboration between government and industry, DSIT is also signalling a broader shift towards treating accessibility and user experience as essential elements of digital public policy alongside cybersecurity, privacy and digital infrastructure.

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UNESCO and LG launch free AI ethics course worldwide

UNESCO and LG AI Research have launched a free AI ethics course designed to help technologists, researchers, policymakers, students, and other professionals apply responsible AI principles in practice.

The massive open online course, titled Empowering Minds: Transforming Lives, was launched in Seoul during the Ethics by Design: Industry and Innovation Conference. Hosted on Coursera, it is available free of charge to learners worldwide.

The programme is based on UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, adopted by its 193 member states in 2021. According to UNESCO, it is intended to move beyond high-level principles by providing practical frameworks for decisions made throughout the AI lifecycle.

The course comprises ten modules covering fairness and inclusion, privacy and data governance, transparency, accountability, safety, security, environmental sustainability and global AI governance.

Through real-world case studies, reflective exercises and adaptable frameworks, participants are encouraged to explore the trade-offs involved in developing, deploying and regulating AI systems.

LG AI Research co-developed the curriculum with an international group of experts. Speakers at the launch emphasised that high-impact AI should be supported by evidence of safety and fairness, human rights safeguards, robust governance and transparent public communication.

The course is delivered primarily in English, with translation options available in 11 languages, and learners can receive a certificate upon completion.

UNESCO described the initiative as a global public good intended to widen access to practical AI education, while LG AI Research said it aims to make responsible innovation a routine industry practice rather than an aspiration.

Why does it matter?

The course addresses one of the main challenges in AI governance: translating broad ethical commitments into everyday decisions made by developers, organisations and policymakers. Practical training can help embed responsible AI considerations throughout the design, deployment and oversight of AI systems rather than treating ethics as a separate compliance exercise.

Making the programme freely available also supports wider international efforts to build AI governance capacity. As more organisations adopt AI, accessible education may become an increasingly important complement to regulation by helping practitioners understand how to apply ethical principles in real-world settings.

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UNESCO strengthens AI judicial training in Namibia

UNESCO and its partners have strengthened judicial capacity in Namibia through the second edition of the Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law training programme, held in Windhoek from 23 to 25 June 2026.

The programme brought together 22 judges, magistrates and legal officers to improve understanding of AI’s growing role in judicial processes while promoting the ethical, accountable and human rights-based use of the technology.

Organised by UNESCO’s Windhoek Office together with the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology, the Directorate of Research and Innovation under the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Namibia–Angola, the programme forms part of the EU-funded Global Rule of Law Programme.

It supports the implementation of UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence by helping justice systems adapt to rapidly evolving AI technologies.

Participants explored AI ethics, judicial independence, data protection, algorithmic transparency, cybersecurity, AI-generated evidence and the use of AI in judicial reasoning.

The programme also introduced UNESCO’s Global Toolkit on AI and the Rule of Law and presented Namibia’s national AI readiness assessment. Speakers stressed that AI should support judicial work rather than replace human judgement and that its use must remain subject to constitutional oversight and public accountability.

UNESCO reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Namibia’s justice sector as it adapts to digital transformation. The programme highlighted the importance of equipping legal professionals with the skills needed to evaluate AI-generated evidence, safeguard fundamental rights and ensure that AI adoption remains consistent with the rule of law, transparency and accountability.

Why does it matter?

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into judicial systems, judges and legal professionals will need specialised knowledge to assess AI-generated evidence, protect fundamental rights and preserve public confidence in the administration of justice. Building institutional expertise is therefore becoming an essential component of responsible AI governance.

The programme also reflects a wider international effort to ensure that AI complements rather than replaces judicial decision-making. By emphasising human oversight, constitutional accountability and ethical safeguards, UNESCO is promoting a governance model that seeks to modernise justice systems without compromising judicial independence or the rule of law.

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Victoria proposes tougher child safety laws for social media and AI

Victoria’s Labor government plans to introduce child safety laws that would make it easier for families to bring legal claims against social media and AI companies accused of harming children.

The proposed reforms would remove the requirement for claims brought on behalf of minors to demonstrate permanent psychiatric impairment of at least 10% before proceedings against social media or AI providers can begin.

The government argues that addictive platform features can damage children’s mental health and that the current legal threshold creates an unnecessary barrier for affected families seeking compensation.

The reforms would also give the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) new powers to issue ‘demasking orders’, requiring social media companies to reveal the identities of anonymous users accused of online vilification.

Premier Jacinta Allan said families should be able to hold technology companies accountable when their platforms harm children and that anonymity should not shield users responsible for hateful conduct.

The government will also consider whether the lower legal threshold should apply to claims involving adults before finalising the legislation. The reforms will be developed through targeted consultations with VCAT, the courts and other stakeholders before being introduced to parliament.

Why does it matter?

The proposed reforms reflect a growing international trend towards holding technology companies more accountable for the real-world impacts of platform design, particularly where children are concerned. Lowering the threshold for legal claims could make it easier for families to seek redress while increasing pressure on platforms to address features that may contribute to harm.

The introduction of ‘demasking orders’ also illustrates how online safety policy is expanding beyond content moderation to include stronger legal mechanisms for identifying anonymous users and enforcing accountability. If adopted, the legislation could influence similar debates in other jurisdictions considering tougher platform liability rules.

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Meta adds suicide prevention safeguards to AI chats for teens

Meta has announced new safety measures for teenagers using Meta AI, including parental alerts when supervised teens show signs of suicide or self-harm during conversations with the chatbot. The company said alerts will be sent only after manual review and will include guidance to help parents support their child.

The company is also developing a system to notify emergency services when AI conversations indicate someone may face an imminent risk of suicide. The approach builds on the company’s existing practice of referring serious suicide risks identified on Facebook and Instagram to emergency responders.

Meta said it worked with more than 75 mental health clinicians to improve how its AI responds when teenagers discuss suicide or self-harm. The updated responses are intended to acknowledge users’ feelings while directing them towards appropriate offline support and crisis services.

The company is also extending its stricter ‘Limited Content’ setting to Meta AI chats, restricting a wider range of sensitive conversations for supervised teens. The parental alerts are now available in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, with global rollout planned by the end of the year.

Why does it matter?

The measures illustrate how AI safety is expanding beyond preventing harmful content to managing situations in which users may face immediate risks to their wellbeing. As conversational AI becomes more widely used by teenagers, developers are increasingly expected to incorporate safeguards, human oversight and access to professional support into their systems.

The announcement also highlights the growing convergence between AI governance and child online safety. Features such as parental notifications, clinically informed responses and emergency escalation suggest that AI assistants are beginning to adopt safety frameworks previously developed for social media platforms, raising new questions about privacy, duty of care and appropriate intervention.

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EU adopts AI governance principles for health technology assessments

The EU’s Health Technology Assessment Coordination Group has adopted principles governing the use of AI in health technology assessments, requiring transparency, human oversight and accountability when AI assists in preparing evidence dossiers.

The guidance apply to dossiers submitted by health technology developers for Joint Clinical Assessments under the EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation. AI may be used to identify studies, extract data, assess the risk of bias, analyse evidence and prepare reports.

The group recognises that AI could improve the efficiency of evidence preparation but warns that inadequate oversight may compromise completeness, methodological quality and scientific rigour.

Health technology developers will remain fully responsible for the content, methods and conclusions of submitted dossiers, including decisions on whether AI is used, how it contributes to evidence synthesis and whether its outputs are scientifically valid.

Human oversight must be maintained throughout every AI-assisted stage, and no part of the assessment process should be fully automated without a clearly accountable individual.

Any AI-assisted step must be disclosed in the dossier, including information retrieval, study screening, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment, evidence analysis and report preparation. Developers must also identify the AI tools used, including their name, version, developer and intended purpose.

Where commercial tools have been adapted, those modifications should be described, while prompts must be retained and made available during assessments on request.

The principles also require AI use to comply with applicable copyright, data protection and EU AI Act requirements, particularly given that submitted dossiers may later be published.

Why does it matter?

AI could accelerate the preparation and review of clinical evidence, but undisclosed automation or inaccurate outputs could influence decisions on which medicines and health technologies reach patients. By requiring human accountability, methodological transparency and disclosure of AI tools and prompts, the EU is seeking to preserve the scientific integrity of health technology assessments.

The principles also represent an early example of sector-specific AI governance under the EU’s broader regulatory framework. Rather than restricting AI use, they establish conditions for trustworthy deployment, illustrating how transparency and human oversight are becoming central requirements for AI-assisted decision-making in highly regulated fields.

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Canada signs UN convention against Cybercrime

Canada has signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, joining an international framework designed to strengthen cooperation against serious crimes committed through information and communications technologies. The government said the treaty provides a legal basis for cross-border investigations, electronic evidence sharing and coordinated responses to cybercrime.

The government said the convention forms part of Canada’s broader efforts to protect citizens and businesses from increasingly sophisticated transnational cyber threats. It is expected to strengthen international law enforcement cooperation, accelerate investigations and improve support for victims of cybercrime.

Canada also highlighted the convention’s safeguards for human rights, privacy and child protection. It said the treaty includes provisions intended to ensure that international criminal justice cooperation remains grounded in the rule of law while allowing meaningful participation from civil society and other stakeholders.

The convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2024 and opened for signature in Hanoi in October 2025. Canada became the 79th signatory, while the treaty will enter into force once 40 states have ratified it. At the time of the announcement, three countries had completed ratification.

Why does it matter?

Cybercrime investigations increasingly involve suspects, victims, digital infrastructure and electronic evidence spread across multiple jurisdictions. The convention seeks to provide a common legal framework for international cooperation, helping authorities investigate offences more efficiently and coordinate cross-border enforcement.

Its long-term impact, however, will depend on how widely it is ratified and how consistently countries implement its procedural safeguards. The effectiveness and legitimacy of the framework will be closely linked to maintaining strong protections for human rights, privacy and due process during international cooperation.

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Rome Declaration calls for human control over AI and nuclear weapons

Nobel laureates, scientists, religious leaders and former heads of state and government have signed the Rome Declaration for an Unarmed and Disarming Peace in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear and Autonomous Weapons, New Digital Protocols, and Emerging Models of Digital Development.

The declaration was adopted on 16 July on Rome’s Capitoline Hill following the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War, hosted by the Vatican.

The declaration calls for renewed international cooperation to address the challenges posed by AI, nuclear weapons and other emerging technologies. It stresses that decisions concerning life and death, peace and war, and the future of humanity should remain under meaningful human control, while highlighting the importance of ensuring that technological progress is guided by ethics, responsibility and respect for human dignity.

The declaration concludes the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly, which brought together more than 200 participants from research institutions, international organisations and civil society. The organisers said the initiative seeks to encourage dialogue on the governance of AI, nuclear weapons and other technologies with significant implications for international peace and security.

Why does it matter?

The declaration reflects growing international efforts to address AI alongside nuclear risks and other emerging technologies through a common governance framework. It also adds to ongoing discussions about maintaining meaningful human control over decisions involving the use of force and other technologies with potentially existential consequences.

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Ofcom says age checks expand but more action needed

Ofcom has published its 2026 Use of Age Assurance Report, finding that age-assurance measures have expanded rapidly over the past year while calling for further action to strengthen online protections for children under the UK’s Online Safety Act.

The report examines the first six months after child protection duties took effect in July 2025, covering pornography, social media and online dating services. Ofcom said highly effective age assurance can significantly improve child safety, although no single method can completely prevent circumvention.

Ofcom said social media platforms have not consistently enforced their existing minimum age requirements and urged services relying on age inference to combine it with other highly effective methods. It also called on pornography services that have yet to introduce age checks to do so without delay, stressing that regulated services remain responsible for ensuring their age-assurance measures are effective.

The regulator also confirmed it will provide Parliament with an assessment by the end of October on how age checks for users over 16 could operate in practice, ahead of proposed social media restrictions expected in 2027.

Why does it matter?

The report provides one of the first comprehensive assessments of how age-assurance requirements are being implemented under the Online Safety Act. Its findings are likely to shape future enforcement priorities and inform policy discussions on additional age-based restrictions for social media services.

The report also suggests that age assurance is evolving into a broader ecosystem responsibility rather than a platform-only obligation. By highlighting the roles of search engines, app stores and device manufacturers alongside online services, Ofcom signals that effective child protection will increasingly depend on coordinated action across the digital ecosystem.

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UK to introduce AI for police evidence disclosure

The UK Home Office has announced major reforms to criminal evidence disclosure that will introduce AI tools to automatically review and summarise police evidence, modernising procedures that have remained largely unchanged since 1996.

The reforms respond to the growing volume of digital evidence in criminal investigations. According to the Home Office, a single fraud case can now involve more than four million documents, while some investigations contain digital material equivalent to 500,000 e-books. Existing guidance often requires officers to manually review and summarise potentially relevant material before prosecutors determine whether it is needed.

The government’s National Centre for Police AI, backed by £75 million in funding, will pilot AI tools capable of automatically summarising digital evidence. The technology will help officers identify, organise and process large volumes of files currently reviewed manually. According to the Home Office, the reforms could free up around six million hours annually by 2028, equivalent to approximately 3,000 additional UK frontline officers.

The government has also accepted recommendations to establish centralised procurement of police technology and create a national disclosure governance forum bringing together representatives from policing, the judiciary, prosecutors and government to oversee the introduction of new technologies. The Director of the Serious Fraud Office described the reforms as an important step towards modernising disclosure practice.

Why does it matter?

The reforms recognise that criminal justice systems increasingly struggle to manage the volume of digital evidence generated by smartphones, cloud services and online communications. Automating routine evidence review could allow investigators to spend more time on investigations while improving the speed of case preparation.

The initiative also illustrates a growing approach to AI adoption in the public sector, where AI supports administrative and analytical tasks rather than replacing human judgement. By introducing governance arrangements alongside the technology, the UK is attempting to balance efficiency gains with accountability in one of the justice system’s most sensitive areas.

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