EMERGING CHALLENGES AND TECHNOLOGICAL IMPACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

The phenomenon of technological change has become one of the greatest forces influencing the global governance in the twenty first century, that essentially changes the manner, in which power, authority and accountability are exercised. In the economic, political, and social spheres, digital innovations have offered unparalleled possibilities of connectivity, efficiency and dissemination of information, allowing global institutions, civil society actors and states to work with increased speed and reach. But together with these advantages, the fast adoption of technology in governance systems has come with complicated issues especially in the field of human rights. The conventional international human rights organizations, which are set up in a state centric model with territorial limits and the enforcement mechanisms, are facing the realities of the digitally mediated world. The artificial intelligence, algorithmic decision making, big data analytics and advanced surveillance systems represent emerging tools that have redefined the structure of power and in most cases, authority has been taken out of the hands of state based or multilateral actors and placed in the hands of non-state actors, including technology corporations. Such development brings about loopholes in accountabilities, erosion of institutional legitimacy, as well as criminalizing the enforcement mechanisms, which were once depended on to secure fundamental rights. Additionally, the legal and normative oversight of technological obscurity and cross border data flows is complicated by the fact that the vulnerable populations are left vulnerable to the risks of discrimination, violation of privacy, and suppression of those that are digitally dissenting. This paper critically assesses the nexus of technology and human rights governance and how new digital systems undermine institutional power, open systemic weaknesses, and develop reformative changes that are adaptive. Through the risks and opportunities analysis of technological integration, the current research has offered a holistic perspective on the urgency of new frameworks in the face of technology that will guarantee safeguarding of human rights in a vast and more interdependent digital era.