R9: Position yourself on digital rights!

There is also an increasing interest from the general public into the digital - the youth knows of the GAFAM, of the importance of personal data (GDPR), of the way they are tracked on the internet in order to be targeted with intrusive tailored ads, …

However, green (and other)for the most part, political parties have not yet picked up digital rights as a key priority, despite it having become a core aspect of our lives and of many ‘green’ fights. It is not clear for the public - and the youth particularly - what a ‘proper digital society’ is for the different parties within their framework of values (or at least that is not made clear enough to the general public). Yet, it is both strategic and logical for greens across Europe to claim the (currently rather unoccupied) spot of defenders of digital rights, as it is in the continuity of the greens’ values and the fights they picked so far - ambitious and forward-looking.

However, green (and other) political parties have not yet picked up digital rights as a key priority, despite it having become a core aspect of our lives and of many ‘green’ fightsintegral to the Green politics. It is not clear for the public - and the youth particularly - what a ‘proper digital society’ is for the different parties within their framework of values (or at least that is not made clear enough to the general public). Yet, it is both strategic and logical for greens across Europe to claim the (currently rather unoccupied) spot of defenders of digital rights, as it is in the continuity of the greens’ values and the fights they picked so far - ambitious and forward-looking.

There is growing awareness from the public of potential infringements on our digital rights. However, green (and other) political parties have not yet picked up digital rights as a key priority, despite it having become a core aspect of our lives and of many ‘green’ fights. It is not clear for the public - and the youth particularly - what a ‘proper digital society’ is for the different parties within their framework of values (or at least that is not made clear enough to the general public). Yet, it is both strategic and logical for greens across Europe to claim the (currently rather unoccupied) spot of defenders of digital rights, as it is in the continuity of the greens’ values and the fights they picked so far - ambitious and forward-looking.

We also aknowledge that the extension and usability of digital technologies is happening unequally across Europe, as often excludes some population groups from this right and creating a digital gap that particularly affects those less educated, rurals communities and older people. The reasons for this digital gap can be due to geographical, economic, cultural, cognitive, or generational issues. Therefore, political efforts need to be done consequently to contribute to reducing the source of inequalities and ensuring equity accross Europe.

It is particularly strategic as there are many recent and forthcoming laws that are relevant from a digital rights perspective both at national level (e.g. in Belgium: data retention) and at EU level (Digital Services Act, Data Act, Artificial Intelligence Act, Child Sexual Abuse Regulation, Advance Passenger Information Regulation, the European Health Data Space, etc.). More will come, and hence the importance of the theme ‘digital’ is here to stay. Many rights & interests are at stake with these laws - among others our rights to anonymity in the public space, to freedom of speech, to freedom of information, to privacy, to the secrecy of our personal communications, to freedom of movement, to fairness & non-discrimination. Algorithms, on the other side, raise concerns about key principles for individual and communal life - such as the principles of transparency, accountability, fairness & non-discrimination, freedom of movement & speech.

These are rights that we fought hard to gain “back in the days”, and principles we fought to establish durably, but because they are ‘reborn’ under the prism of digital spaces and technologies, and because data, digital tools and processing power allow for unprecedented insights and ways to monitor and control people, these rights have to be fought for anew.Digital technology and tools are constantly developing, which adds a whole new dimension to how these rights can be broken as well. How this affects us, and ensuring to include digital spaces as part of these rights need to be fundemental to the development of digital rights. Green parties already support and defend them, but ‘digital’ still remains a marginal topic politically - there is little political positioning through it despite its importance.

In light of the importance of these rights and principles, and in light of their newly-found prevalence in all areas of work traditionally (though not exclusively) ‘Green’, this motion is calling on Green parties to pick up digital rights as a key priority for the 2024 european elections -We need to think ahead together: what is a sustainable digital society? What principles & interests should prevail? What is our ambitious Green vision for a digital society (beyond the more ‘traditional’ green digital angles of sustainability, right to repair & digital divide), and how much of prominence should it have in a political program ?

In light of the importance of these rights and principles, and in light of their newly-found prevalence in all areas of work traditionally (though not exclusively) ‘Green’, this motion is calling on Green parties to pick up digital rights as a key priority for the 2024 european elections - to think ahead together: what is a sustainable digital society? What principles & interests should prevail? What is our ambitious Green vision for a digital society (beyond the more ‘traditional’ green digital angles of sustainability, right to repair & digital divide), and how much of prominence should it have in a political program ?

This is why The Federation of Young European Greens calls for:

• Green parties to position themselves more clearly on digital rights.

• Green parties to take the lead on the topic of digital rights, working to create a sustainable digital society.

This resolution is a call from the Federation of Young European Greens to seize the transversal topic of ‘digital’ in politics, a call to Green parties to position themselves (more clearly) as champions of a sustainable digitised society, and a call to claim the spotlight for an electorate who increasingly cares about the architecture of their digital personal, communal and political life. At a time where tech has become the biggest lobby sector in the EU by spending (ahead of pharma, fossil fuels, finance, and chemicals), let’s think ahead about what the key digital priorities of the green youth for the short- and long-term represent, and their place in politics!

• National governments and European institutions to make sure the tech lobby is not able to control, influence, and negatively impact our digital rights, and thus to ensure the relevant laws and regulations are in the people's best interest.

• National governments and European institutions to consider developments and changes to digital spaces and technologies in how it would impact new legislation, as well as the modernisation of relevant outdated legislation or policies to address these spaces.