Impact of Information Technology on Human Rights Evidence of Dichotomy

Abstract

Human Rights(HR) - primitive or modern, rural or urban, of poor or rich, for civil or defence, newlinefor Indian or non-Indian, regional or global exist with identifiable similarities across the newlineboundaries. With the development of civilizations, the only change which has taken place is newlinein their interpretation. One of the similar developments in the modern world happens to bring newlineus face-to face with an urgency to provide new interpretations. This development in the form newlineof information and communication technology(ICT) calls for an in-depth analysis of the newlinecurrent situation wherein diverse interpretations have the potential to bring the humanity to a newlinesituation of crisis which may result in another holocaust. Literally, the information and newlinecommunication technology today means anything related to internet and mobile based newlineinformation flow. But with the convergence of a number of technologies it also implies TV, newlineradio, wireless, newspaper, and a number of such technologies which are slowly coming newlineunder its umbrella. Notwithstanding the fact that each of these technologies has strengthened newlinethe human rights, as they are, their interaction has to be understood carefully. newlineFor this, a detour to the historical evolution of basic human rights identifies the correlation of newlineits rudimentary and fragmented concept with religion. Later, a brief peep into the background newlinereveals the imminent need and the resultant codification of its basic framework under newlineUniversal Declaration of Human Rights(UNDHR) constituting civil and political rights; and newlinethen covenants on economic, social and cultural rights. Finally came the covenants on group newlinerights, of the most recent origin, wherein concerns of group of persons are identified. All the newlinedevelopments in pre-ICT era have made it a robust framework for HR. In general the newlineframeworks of pre-ICT era are extendable to the ICT era.