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Inequality and Rights in a Digital Age
Damaris Lesiamito and her grandchild have a light moment at their home in Maralal. (Photo: James Ekwam/Oxfam)
Rights in Digital Age
Overview
Technology as an Enabler of Human Rights（https://www.oxfam.org/en/technology-enabler-human-rights）
A 'ReCIPE' for Success（https://www.oxfam.org/en/rights-digital-age-action-recipe-success）
Towards a rights-respecting digital ecosystem for all
Digital technologies must work for everyone
Oxfam envisions a positive digital future: a vibrant, creative, dynamic, and innovative ecosystem that is safe, secure, and built on a foundation of trust and human rights, where people of all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and genders can engage in digital spaces and use technology confidently; that respects and protects the rights of all people, whether they use technology or not.
In its 2018 declaration（https://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/38/L.10/Rev.1） , “ The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet,” the United Nations affirmed that “the same rights people have offline must also be protected online.”
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
Jacquline is a graduate of Youth Challenge Vanuatu's (YCV) Ready for Work program, and now works at the ombudsman office in Vanuatu. Oxfam acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program. (Photo: Arlene Bax/Oxfam)
These rights naturally include freedom of expression, freedom of association, privacy, bodily autonomy, physical and psychological safety, and other commonly understood rights. They might also include the right to access digital tools, systems, and networks; the right to transparency, and timely, objective, and accurate information; the right to meaningful employment; the right to organize and protest policies that might threaten or undermine these rights; and the right to responsible and accountable representation in governments and international institutions that advocate for and protect the interests of everyday people.
For many, the inequalities and harms experienced in their physical lives are sometimes replicated – or made worse – in online spaces, as well as through the various other ways digital technologies have become commonplace in today’s world. The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) – a technology everyday people are only beginning to use, much less understand – increases the urgency with which human rights in a digital age must be prioritized.
Beyond the many challenging questions raised by AI, the vision for an optimistic future where technology serves humanity and addresses chronic systemic problems is further jeopardized by cybercrime, surveillance, the monetization of personal data, a constant battle for attention, and an unstable, rapidly changing digital economy that is fundamentally altering the workplace and livelihoods across the social spectrum. Governments and institutions are increasingly compromised by conflicts of interest and the growing corporate influence over policymaking.
And that’s just for the five and a half billion people online today. More than two billion people still lack meaningful access to the tools, technology, and resources of the digital age, and are at risk of falling further behind as a result.
For women, girls, elders, and marginalized groups like LGBTQIA+ people, people with disability, and racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, the risks – as well as the opportunities – are often greater.
5.56 billion 67.9% of the world’s population is connected to the internet
5.78 billion 70.5% of the world’s population has a mobile phone
5.24 billion 63.9% of the world’s population uses social media
Source : We are Social: Digital in 2025 ( https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2025/02/digital-2025-the-essential-guide-to-the-global-state-of-digital/ )
Ebla Hussein Ahmed reading a message from her mobile phone at her home in Elben, Wajir County, Kenya. She receives her monthly cash payment notification via her phone. (Photo: Billy Owiti/Oxfam)
Today’s status quo is not sustainable
In the last three decades, digital technologies have transformed culture, media, work, education, healthcare, politics, and more. Every part of human society has been affected. And while this revolution has brought a new age of innovation, creativity, and economic opportunity, it has also – by almost any measure – contributed to deepening inequality. But how?
First, the profound economic growth, influence, and power enabled by digital technologies have accrued unevenly in favor of wealthy industrialized countries, where the internet and its offspring – e-commerce, social media, smartphones, and now artificial intelligence – originated. This head start advantage led to an uneven distribution of the fruits of digital transformation, and countries that were already economically advanced became even more so, while much of the rest of the world struggled to catch up.