Sarat Ruos
Project Coordinator for the Protecting Fundamental Freedoms Project of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).
Keeping Human Rights at the Center of Technology
This article is part of the DDI at DRAPAC 2026 series.
Participating in DRAPAC26 for the first time was inspiring. Through discussions on artificial intelligence (AI), digital resilience, democracy, corporate accountability, and digital governance, one message stood out clearly. Human rights must remain at the center of technological advancement.
For Cambodia, where civic space continues to face significant restrictions, these discussions were particularly relevant. As technology increasingly shapes public discourse and civic participation, civil society organizations must adapt their strategies to protect human rights defenders (HRDs), strengthen digital security, and promote fundamental freedoms in an evolving digital environment.
The discussions at DRAPAC26 strongly resonated with CCHR’s core focus areas: protecting fundamental freedoms, business and human rights, judicial and legal reform, and gender equality and diversity.
Investing in digital security, data protection, and cybersecurity capacity can help activists mitigate risks while continuing their work.
AI as Both a Weapon and a Shield for Human Rights
A key lesson from DRAPAC26 is that technology can both advance and undermine human rights. Across the region, digital technologies are increasingly used to monitor online activity and silence dissenting voices. At the same time, they remain powerful tools for documenting abuses, amplifying marginalized voices, and advancing advocacy efforts.
For Cambodia, where HRDs, journalists, and critics continue to face legal harassment for exercising their rights, strengthening digital resilience is more important than ever. Investing in digital security, data protection, and cybersecurity capacity can help activists mitigate risks while continuing their work. Secure documentation of human rights violations remains essential for evidence-based advocacy and accountability.
Corporate Accountability in the Digital Sphere
The participation of major technology companies highlighted the growing influence of the private sector on civic space and human rights. Yet many platforms continue to struggle to meet their responsibilities under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
For Cambodia, this reinforces the importance of engaging technology companies to improve transparency, safeguard user data, and prevent digital platforms from contributing to restrictions on freedom of expression. Social media remains a primary space for civic engagement and human rights advocacy, which makes stronger corporate accountability essential.
Looking Ahead
Two further threads ran through the assembly. One was the question of how to protect children online without compromising their rights to information, privacy, participation, and freedom of expression, a balance that governments and technology companies must ground in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and broader human rights principles. The other was the growing use of AI in judicial systems, which raises real questions about transparency, accountability, bias, and fair trial rights. Cambodia has begun using AI tools for public communication, though there is currently no indication that courts are using AI in judicial decision-making. As technology evolves, careful oversight will be needed to ensure any future use of AI within the justice system complies with international fair trial standards. Through its Fair Trial Rights Project, CCHR will continue monitoring court proceedings and advocating for greater compliance with these standards.
The funding crisis affecting civil society was also a recurring concern throughout DRAPAC26. Reductions in international assistance have placed additional pressure on organizations working in increasingly restrictive environments. At a time of shrinking civic space, resilience and innovation are critical. Civil society organizations will need to diversify their funding sources, explore alternative resource mobilization strategies, and strengthen solidarity across the region to sustain long-term human rights work.