"The rights that guide social coexistence must also be present in the network".

Are the rights that apply in the physical world also valid in the network? Are we protected in the digital world? How can we achieve a healthy digital coexistence? The Observatory of Digital Rights, a body under the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function and in which a group of professors from the School of Communication collaborate, tries to answer some of these questions.

The Observatory seeks to guarantee rights in the digital environment and promote a balance between technological innovation and protection of citizens. It is made up of more than 360 experts, including Ana Azurmendi, Professor of Constitutional Law at the School of Communication. Also participating with her are María Fernanda Novoa, Aurken Sierra, Blanca Basanta, Carlos Lancho, Elsa Moreno, Avelino Amoedo, Eva Lus, Pablo Echart, María Noguera, María del Rincón, Lourdes Esqueda and Pablo Castrillo.

What is the Digital Rights Observatory and what are its objectives?

The Digital Rights Observatory emerged in 2024 as an initiative of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, which aims to carry out various activities to promote a culture of digital citizenship and understanding of the digital rights that all citizens have.

With this preamble, a public call for proposals was made to which various agents responded. One of the results was the agreement network.es (from the Ministry) and the Hermes Foundation and the invitation to the University of Navarra to collaborate, along with seven other universities and foundations. We are many members who collaborate from different angles in the creation of this Observatory that seeks a way to promote citizen values in social networks. 

What do we mean by digital rights and why is it relevant to protect them?

It is a reality that we see every day, in which most citizens consider that in the network there are no rights, there are no laws and there are no principles to be respected. In addition, there is a very gamified vision of social networks, where everything is considered a game: insulting, attacking someone, lynching, lying. And no, it is not a game. 

Digital rights arise because users need to realize that what happens on social networks is also part of the real world. Although it is a digital world, it is a place where relationships between people are also important, where the criteria of equality, respect and coexistence must govern. And this has not been achieved. The Observatory wants to promote this through actions. 

From the School of Communication we are committed to carry out dissemination actions that contribute to this change of mentality, in favor of a digital citizenship of respect in networks. And, among these actions, we are organizing a congress, to be held next year, on digital citizenship and rights. 

Do the rights that regulate the physical world also exist in the network or is it necessary to legislate only for digital issues? 

The rights that guide social coexistence must be present in the network, but in another way. For example, the right to privacy means that my image should not be captured if I do not give my consent, or that when there is a status involving any non-famous person, it should be respected and not report if there is no public motivation. These issues fall within common sense, but in networks they are not so clear. 

Therefore, in the digital world, it requires specificities. The right to be forgotten is a specialization program of the right to privacy, but in the digital environment. This right governs, exclusively, what happens on the Internet. 

And also, some rights such as the right of reply, in social networks, have different characteristics than the right of rectification in the physical world outside social networks.

What are the main lines of work of this project?

It has many lines; the dimension is enormous. For example, the Mobile World in Barcelona is part of this project. From the School of Communication we are collaborating with twelve professors from all the Departments in different products: audiovisual shorts, a collection of podcasts, two congresses and organization of seminars. 

In addition, when we talk about digital rights, the emphasis is usually placed on the negative, and our goal is more linked to achieving digital wellbeing. We want to instill values in citizens that imply that the opportunities for Education, access to information, enjoyment and entertainment in social networks are seen from the positive side, from all the good that it brings us. 

How does it benefit users?

It benefits all users because it will contribute from all angles and perspectives to the promotion of a positive mentality that makes good use of social networks. It also involves many activities of research and proposal of technological mechanisms in social networks, and each of the members of the Observatory contribute from our field, complementing each other.

Ana Azurmendi, Professor of Constitutional Law at the School of Communication and member of the Observatorio de Derechos Digitales