Digital space is a key venue for the exercise of the right to defend human rights.
People around the world use the Internet to gather and share information on human rights; advocate for their respect, protection and fulfilment; publish reports and documentation; build and organise communities and networks; and amplify marginalised voices.
Yet the Internet is far from a neutral space – it is contested, and currently dominated by the same interests and ideology that determine much of our everyday lives.
This is seen clearly on social media platforms, which people have now long turned to in human rights work and activism.
On 31 March 2026, the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders published a scoping paper examining how social media platforms contribute, intentionally or otherwise, to silencing & endangering human rights defenders.
In the paper, based on submissions from civil society organisations, the Special Rapporteur found that through at best faulty moderation practices, algorithmic suppression, inadequate responses to online harassment and compliance with repressive demands from States, social media platforms contribute, intentionally or otherwise, to silencing and endangering human rights defenders.