Join us on 7 October for the launch of our new report, “Information and Communication Technologies, Freedom of Expression and their Impact on Academic Freedom“
Information and Communication Technologies, Freedom of Expression and their Impact on Academic Freedom is the title of the report by Anna Luisa Walter de Santana and Jorge Ernesto Roa, PhD and Doctor of Law, for the CLAA. The study analyses the relationship between the right to academic freedom and the rights, interests, challenges and problems that arise in its exercise when it interacts with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
This issue is addressed in the Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy, which highlights the strong link between the Internet and new technologies and academic freedom. The IACHR recognises the essential nature of the Internet for accessing and exercising the right to education, the pursuit of knowledge, and the freedom to seek, receive, and impart ideas and opinions of all kinds. The Declaration emphasises the role of States and their special obligation to refrain from imposing censorship or unreasonable restrictions on the functioning of the Internet and the content that circulates on the Internet.
Santana is a professor at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUC-Paraná) in Brazil and Roa is a professor of constitutional law at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. Their text highlights the changes that the Internet has brought about in the way knowledge is produced, disseminated and appropriated. In particular, they argue that the massive use of the Internet and digital platforms has revolutionised university teaching, the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge. The expansion of connections possible in digital space has allowed scientific knowledge to leave the walls of universities and reach a large number of people. Academic freedom and other human rights have been profoundly affected, prompting a debate on how to protect rights in virtual environments.
The report also makes a number of recommendations, highlighting the role of States in adopting measures to make progress in ensuring universal and meaningful access to the Internet. In this regard, the report highlights, among other things, that:
– Cases of censorship of scholars on the Internet, as in other spaces, should be treated as violations of the right to academic freedom, not just freedom of expression;
– Key to strengthening democratic systems is the protection of universities and academic voices;
– States should regulate Internet companies and promote a rights-enforcing ecosystem in the digital space, including through the adoption and enforcement of appropriate legislative, judicial, administrative, educational and other measures to hold private actors accountable;
– Access to general and specific academic content should be guaranteed by states. They should not rely solely on the standards of digital platforms;
– Companies should ensure that researchers have access to data relating to their activities in order to carry out research to assess the impact of the sector on the exercise of human rights. Finally, the text emphasises that universities should “promote freedom of expression and academic freedom to the fullest extent possible” so that the commitment of scientific research to the search for truth can be realised.
Save the Date for the launch of the report:
The launch of the report will be attended by the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Pedro Vaca Villarreal. The meeting will take place on 7 October at 11am Sao Paulo time (GMT -3) by video conference. More information will follow.