Social media poses human rights challenges, Ombudswoman warns

There are challenges in ensuring human rights in the digital age, particularly where social media is concerned, Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides cautioned on Thursday.

In her speech at a conference called ‘Protecting Human Rights in the Digital Age and in Social Media’ she said that although digital platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for socialising, there are also significant dangers for private life, democracy and human dignity.

Key issues are identified in infringement of the right to privacy, fake news and a spike in hate speech and online harassment.

This disproportionately affects marginalised groups, Lottides underlined.

She highlighted the importance of approaching this with multiple stakeholders including governments, tech companies and society at large to create a balanced digital sphere that protects the rights of individuals and promotes free speech.

Deputy Minister of Research Nicodemos Damianou specified there were rapid technological developments particularly in Metaverse and AI as well as their impact on society.

While these offer better access to education, healthcare and business, they also come with challenges such as misinformation, discrimination and violating the right to private life.

Thus, digital literacy is particularly important as is access to digital connectivity, Damianou added.