Human Rights in the Digital Age

Theme lead: Professor Ella McPherson 

CGHR’s Human Rights in the Digital Age theme addresses the emergent and rapidly evolving changes wrought to human rights practices and norms by the use of digital technologies. With respect to practices, this includes human rights fact-finding and advocacy; with respect to norms, this includes human rights related to communication, information, expression, privacy, assembly and association. 

The research and activities under this theme approach human rights from a communications perspective and, as such, are particularly concerned with pluralism and solidarity. Another core concept of the theme is risk, particularly risk governance around perceived threats to security and facticity.   

Praxis research in this theme includes academic startup, The Whistle, as well as the Digital Verification Corps and innovative, interactive tools such as the Social Life of Data experience, the Digital Human Rights Toolkit, and the chatbot providing information for asylum-seekers in the UK.  Empirical scholarship includes investigations of human rights fact-finding using digital tools, reimaginings of the practice of witnessing, and explorations of the digitally-mediated freedom of assembly.   

Research Project

Open Source Investigation for Academics

News

07/08/26

CGHR student volunteers achieve top grades

Ed Parker, Co-Coordinator of the CGHR Student Group, and Tomos Davies, Coordinator of the Digital Verification Corps, came first in their respective cohorts.

News

05/08/26

In Memoriam: Dr David Potter (1943–2026) 

It is with great sadness that the Centre of Governance and Human Rights records the death, on 28 June 2026, of Dr David Potter.

News

28/07/26

Big Tech at the Bingo

In a new article, ‘Big Tech at the Bingo’, Ella explores how British bingo players defend their communities against the rise of online bingo platforms.

Publication

Big Tech at the Bingo

In this new article, Professor Ella McPherson shows how British bingo players defend their communities when technosolutionism barrels into their halls.

Publication

Algorithmic Governance and Postcoloniality

In this paper, Dr Ashwin Varghese reads algorithmic governance through a postcolonial lens to understand the hierarchies it creates and what algorithmic transformation means for the postcolonial world.