World map

A new report examines the international law implications of our evidence to the Global Digital Compact.

On 2 May 2023, the Minderoo Centre of Technology and Democracy and the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law convened a workshop to discuss international law implications of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy’s recently submitted evidence to the proposed Global Digital Compact.

Key takeaways from this workshop report are:

– The principle of connecting all people to the Internet first concerns access, and second the rights and protections which should apply once people are connected to the Internet

– Principles of cybersecurity and safety are crucial, especially to safeguard critical infrastructure

– International law lacks effective mechanisms to compel private actors, especially key intermediaries, to adhere to human rights or other standards.

– Accountability has to be more than mere transparency, and for this purpose, researchers, courts, and regulators must have access to data and systems as a matter of law.

About our evidence to the Global Digital Compact

Responding to the Global Digital Compact call for evidence, the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy convened two sessions with academic researchers from the University of Cambridge in April 2023. Evidence from these sessions was submitted and collated into a report published by the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy.

Read our evidence