A/HRC/41/41 24. Encryption technologies, pseudonymity and other security features have enabled individuals belonging to minority groups to find one another and create community. The Human Rights Council has stressed that “technical solutions to secure and protect the confidentiality of digital communications, including measures for encryption and anonymity, can be important to ensure the enjoyment of human rights, in particular the rights to privacy, to freedom of expression and to freedom of peaceful assembly and association”.26 The Special Rapporteur asserts that the same is true for the organization and conduct of associations. These tools provide individuals and civil society actors with safe online space to gather and connect with other members of their group as well as to organize and coordinate activities, without undue interference from third parties and government. 27 25. Through the use of social media, e-petitions and crowdfunding platforms, civil society organizations have been able to reach new audiences, spread information, attract members and find funding in ways that were previously impossible or extremely costly. For example, following the earthquake in Mexico in 2018, a group of citizens mobilized online via #Verificado19S 28 to provide reliable information and assist victims with needed resources. In Turkey, organizations such as Oy ve Ötesi used social media tools to enlist over 60,000 volunteers to monitor more than 130,000 ballot boxes during the general elections of November 2015. In the United States, the American Civil Liberties Union raised millions of dollars in online donations over one weekend in support of its work for immigrants’ rights. Similarly, after the Russian Federation had placed severe restrictions on civil society’s ability to access foreign resources, the human rights organization OVD-Info used crowdfunding to gather support and raise small, private domestic donations. 29 Similarly, digital technologies have become increasingly important for labour unions to perform their core functions, including organizing protests, keeping in touch with members and providing spaces for discussion and decision-making.30 26. Many civil society groups have taken advantage of technology to innovate in addressing social problems. For example, the Landmark project 31 provides publicly available maps and other critical data on lands that are collectively held and used by indigenous peoples and local communities around the world to ensure their protection. The Eyewitness project has developed technologies to enhance the capacity of civil society actors and individuals to document and record human rights abuses. 32 The development of open source software and free commons has been largely driven by civil society organizations such as the Mozilla Foundation and Wikimedia. Platforms such as Signal and Crabgrass have been developed to enhance security of civil society groups’ digital communications. Community networks in refugee settlements or in indigenous communities are another example of civil society innovation to address social problems. 27. Digital technologies should be seen by the authorities “as an excellent opportunity to interact with a large and diversified audience prior to and during peaceful assemblies, with a view to sensitizing them on their role and functions, and ultimately building or reinforcing trust among the population”.33 Likewise, States should recognize the value of technology to facilitate people’s rights to public participation. The Special Rapporteur welcomes efforts by many governments to establish online platforms through which those interested can submit and collect signatures for petitions on government policies and legislative action. 28. These examples demonstrate a remarkable range of uses of digital technology for the enjoyment of the rights of peaceful assembly and association, and the interplay between offline and online spheres. The Special Rapporteur observes that the rights of freedom of 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 See Human Rights Council resolution 38/7. See A/HRC/29/32 and A/HRC/38/35/Add.5. #Verified19S. A/HRC/35/28, para. 62. Jeffrey M. Hirsch, “Worker collective action in the digital age”, West Virginia Law Review, vol. 117 (2015), pp. 921–959; and Klaus Schoemann, “Digital technology to support the trade union movement”, Open Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 6, No. 1 (2018), pp. 67–82. See www.landmarkmap.org. See www.eyewitnessproject.org. A/HRC/23/39, para. 74. 7