Digital society requires sound governance. Emerging technologies have fuelled innovation, economic development, and sustainability. Yet, the ongoing digital transformation must be rooted in a secure, inclusive, sustainable, and human-centred approach - one that safeguards democracy and respects human rights.

Digital rights are essential for all individuals and European governments must strive to ensure that no one is excluded, giving every person the chance to acquire critical digital skills and fully engage in the digital environment.

The Council of Europe has engaged since the early days of the Internet in protecting human rights online. The ensuing rapid digitalisation of the society has extended the need for a regulatory framework to multiple layers of the information society.

Currently Digital Governance is understood as the development and application by governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the digital environment.

In order to ensure a sustainable, people-centred and rights-based approach to the digital world, the Council of Europe engages in setting and promoting standards, building partnerships and fostering multi-stakeholder dialogue.

 Policy Focus

The Council of Europe is committed to protecting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in the digital environment.

The Reykjavík Declaration of Heads of State and Government calls for the Council of Europe to take a leading role in developing standards in the digital era to safeguard human rights online and offline, and for strengthening the role of the Council of Europe in the evolving European multilateral architecture and in global governance.

To ensure the full enjoyment of the rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights also online, the Council of Europe has developed a Digital Agenda 2022-2025  with three main goals:

• Consolidating the existing digital regulation by supporting the implementtation of Council of Europe standards;
• Responding to new challenges and taking advantage of the opportunities provided by emerging digital technologies;
• Accompanying member States for a digital transition with European values based on Council of Europe standards.

 Key Conventions

The Council of Europe safeguards and promotes the rights to privacy and data protection through the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data.

The Convention on Cybercrime  provides its Parties with a framework for domestic action and international co-operation for criminalisation of offences against and by means of computers, procedural powers to investigate cybercrime and secure electronic evidence in relation to any crime, and international cooperation on cybercrime and electronic evidence.

The Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, is the first international legally binding instrument in this field, opened for signature in Vilnius on 5 September 2024. It aims to ensure that activities within the lifecycle of artificial intelligence systems are fully consistent with human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, while being conducive to technological progress and innovation.

 Global Cooperation

A continuous and value-oriented dialogue with global, regional, and national internet and digital governance forums, including WSIS, ITU, IGF, EuroDIG, SEEDIG, ICANN, RightsCon, ensures that the principles and standards of the Organisation are promoted, and when-possible, harmonised on a large geographical scale, through a multi-stakeholder approach.

The Council of Europe Digital Partnership with leading technology companies and their associations is a functional mechanism to exchange expertise and best practices ensuring a direct channel of cooperation and exchange with business. It promotes ethical values and democratic principles in the wider digital environment.

The three key conventions of the Council of Europe, addressing the digital environment: on protecting privacy, on framing AI and on countering cybercrime have already extended the safe digital space beyond Europe, offering the global community proven standards and efficient formats of cooperation.