New Digital Rights Charter to guarantee citizens’ rights

Prime Minister Sanchez launches the Charter. Image: La Moncloa

Without being regulatory in nature, the Charter provides a reference framework to guarantee citizens’ rights in the new digital age and aims to recognise the challenges of adapting existing rights to the virtual and digital environment.

The aim of the Charter is to “reinforce” and “extend” citizens’ rights, and “generate certainty for society in this new digital age and increase the confidence” of people in the face of the disruption that technology represents, said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

“With this exercise, Spain is at the forefront internationally in protecting citizens’ rights, and this Charter shows the way forwards,” he added.

According to Sanchez the Charter “is not regulatory in nature”, but rather proposes “a framework of reference for the action of all public authorities, which, being shared by all, allows us to navigate the digital environment, taking advantage of and developing all its potential and opportunities”. In addition, “it is intended to serve as a guide for future legislative projects and to develop fairer public policies that protect us all”.

The Charter includes six main categories of rights, covering all areas of uncertainty and risk: rights of freedom; rights of equality; rights of participation and shaping the public space; rights of the working and business environment; digital rights in specific environments; and rights of guarantees and efficiencies.

The “pioneering nature” of this Charter in some of these rights, such as those related to artificial intelligence, algorithmic non-discrimination or the right of the individual to request human oversight or intervention, was praised by the PM on July 14.

“These rights are ground-breaking and show us as a leading country, demonstrating once again that Spain is ready to lead the way in fighting for rights around the world,” he said.


Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to check The Euro Weekly News for all your up-to-date local and international news stories.

 

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Deirdre Tynan

Deirdre Tynan is an award-winning journalist who enjoys bringing the best in news reporting to Spain’s largest English-language newspaper, Euro Weekly News. She has previously worked at The Mirror, Ireland on Sunday and for news agencies, media outlets and international organisations in America, Europe and Asia. A huge fan of British politics and newspapers, Deirdre is equally fascinated by the political scene in Madrid and Sevilla. She moved to Spain in 2018 and is based in Jaen.

Comments