Session: How Do Recent European Regulations Impact Palestinian Digital Rights?

In the framework of its 'Digital Decade', the European Union (EU)’s main objective was to regulate some of the most salient aspects of the digital transformation. Another aim was to inspire the relevant legislation of other states in the international community, both to increase the block’s influence through the ‘Brussels effect’, and to foster the progressive shaping of a global digital sphere, by nature borderless, in which users and stakeholders are aware of their rights and obligations. The United Kingdom has been one of the countries following suit. It is crucial to understand why these texts have, and will have, an undeniable impact on Palestinian digital rights, as well as across the Global South. In many instances, enforcement contributes to strengthening the protection of online freedom of expression and other fundamental rights. However, in others, the application may also lead to the deepening of existing asymmetries. This session will focus, in particular, on the footprint of critical texts in the European context, such as the EU’s Digital Services Act or Artificial Intelligence Act and the UK Online Safety Bill. The discussion will comprehensively address all these opportunities and challenges that the texts represent for Palestinian digital rights, as well as how to ensure civil society, in Europe and beyond, also plays a role in their implementation and enforcement.