New and emerging digital technologies – including social media platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), geospatial technology, facial recognition and surveillance tools – are rapidly reshaping our interactions in the modern world. These technologies can both enable and prevent mass atrocity crimes.

In some cases, digital technologies have been exploited to spread disinformation, create information silos and incite violence, particularly against marginalized ethnic or religious communities. They have also been used to surveil populations, silence civil society and target human rights defenders and political opponents. At the same time, these technologies hold powerful potential for atrocity prevention by documenting early warning signs, promoting inclusive dialogue, strengthening human rights monitoring and amplifying calls for action.

Despite the UN and a variety of stakeholders devoting increasing attention on this issue, multilateral institutions, governments, regional bodies and private companies continue to face challenges in addressing both the threats and opportunities posed by digital technologies.

The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect is working to close this gap by integrating digital technology analysis into country-specific monitoring and advocacy and by promoting a more holistic approach to global digital governance. We advocate for decision-makers to adopt an atrocity prevention lens when developing and implementing technology-related norms and policies.

The Global Centre published a policy brief examining how digital technologies can both increase the risk of mass atrocity crimes and serve as critical tools for preventing their perpetration, strengthening human rights monitoring and facilitating justice and accountability. The brief explores a range of technologies and how their use can be shaped by factors such as misinformation campaigns and internet shutdowns targeting vulnerable populations.

In addition to the policy brief, the Global Centre has published several issues of our weekly Atrocity Alert on various topics related to the use of new and emerging digital technologies in atrocity situations. Examples include our work on:

• • • Meta’s retreat from content moderation and its implications on hate speech and disinformation
    • The role and responsibility of social media companies in fueling atrocity crimes in Myanmar (Burma) and Ethiopia
    • The use of sophisticated mass surveillance technology to facilitate ongoing atrocities against Uyghur and other majority-Muslim ethnic groups in China
    • The risks of loosening hate speech protections