Latin America is undergoing a period of profound political and technological transformation. In several countries across the region, the rise of governments that prioritize responses centered on security, public order, and the strengthening of the State’s coercive capacities coincides with the rapid expansion of digital surveillance technologies. This convergence is particularly concerning in a region that continues to record some of the highest levels of violence against human rights defenders, journalists, social leaders, and political opponents.

Call for Inputs – Protection of human rights defenders in the digital age
This response is submitted by AlSur, a consortium of eleven civil society and academic organizations based in Latin America that are working together to strengthen human rights in the region’s digital environment (underlined phrases marks different answers)

The year 2025 presented a challenging landscape for human rights in digital environments.

The world witnessed serious crises: devastating armed conflicts in Africa and Europe, genocide in Palestine, multilateral tensions, and a worrying apathy on the part of states and companies in the face of the climate crisis. Added to this is the contraction of international cooperation and greater direct participation by large technology companies in political decisions and processes in the region and around the world.

The governments of the region will meet next December in the Dominican Republic for the 10th Summit of the Americas. Several critical issues related to citizen security, shared prosperity, and sustainability have already been defined for the agenda. As this is a decision-making forum that affects the entire region, together with 25 other civil society and academic organizations, we ask that the agenda and decisions taken take into account human rights in the digital age.

AlSur has established a collaboration with the Pulitzer Center under its South to South AI Accountability CoLab initiative.

This is a program that seeks to strengthen the connection between artificial intelligence (AI) accountability journalism and civil society engagement in the Global South. This initiative recognizes that, without proactive multi-stakeholder engagement, there is a significant risk that AI will replicate historical patterns of inequality, injustice and bias.