The Contributions of the Human Rights Council to Developing International Standards for the Protection of Digital Human Rights

Abstract

Digital transformation has brought about an unprecedented expansion in the use of information and communication technologies, giving rise to a new generation of rights associated with the digital space including freedom of expression, the right to digital privacy, the right to Internet access, and personal data protection. Against this backdrop, United Nations bodies have assumed a pivotal role in laying the legal foundations and standards for the protection of digital rights. The UN General Assembly has contributed to consolidating recognition of these rights, while the Human Rights Council has emerged as the principal international mechanism for their promotion and protection. Through a series of resolutions and recommendations, the Council has affirmed that rights guaranteed offline must receive equivalent protection in the digital environment—establishing an important normative reference that guides national legislation, despite its non-binding character. This study aims to analyze the role of the Human Rights Council in the protection of digital rights by examining its resolutions, working methods, and contribution to the development of international human rights law in the digital domain, while evaluating the challenges that constrain the effectiveness of this role and identifying mechanisms to strengthen the international protection of digital rights.