Content in the digital age will to a great extent be made up of works claiming copyright protection. Furthermore, digital works are easily altered, or even falsified, which means that there are many potential threats to the moral right of authors. Given these facts, it is not surprising that copyright is one of the first areas to have attracted the attention of the international community. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes clear the need to safeguard the rights of privacy and freedom of expression in the digital age. But new technologies pose new challenges to these essential rights.
Interactive technology makes possible widespread surveillance of private activity.
Software filters can also restrict access to information that might otherwise be freely available in the environment of broadcast media and print publication. Globalization has also resulted in a transfer of decision-making authority from national governments to international organizations. These recent developments pose additional challenges to democratic institutions and the rule of law. To preserve human dignity it is necessary to reaffirm support for the UDHR, promote the implementation of Fair Information Practices and the development of genuine Privacy Enhancing Technologies, remove barriers to the free flow of information, and strengthen Public Voice NGOs to ensure the participation of civil society in decisions concerning the digital age.