Technology can play a key role in exposing human rights violations, and its liberating power has been widely recognized and celebrated. However, we have increasingly witnessed that it can be a double-edged sword for the very same causes with dire consequences and harmful effects on the right to life, privacy, freedom of expression, association or movement and national security. Although Italy is at the centre of these issues, its role, its policies and its practices often go unscrutinized by the media and the public. The digital divide is one of the main causes, from both an infrastructural as well as a cultural point of view, and affects all components of society, from the media to politicians, from citizens to NGOs.

The aim of the Civil Liberties in the Digital Age Programme is to advance and expand human rights standards on these challenges, limit mass surveillance and advocate for better oversight of intelligence and surveillance activities run by the government. We do so through a combination of advocacy campaigning, lobbying and strategic litigation.

It intersects all activities of our organization: as a coalition of human rights practitioners, the safety and privacy of the people who work with us and with whom we work to protect are crucial. We will therefore provide training on safety and digital security, promote encryption and raise awareness among the public by providing tools to protect online privacy.