Global Internet Freedom Clinical Project
About the Project
This initiative is a component of the Global Internet Freedom Project at GW Law. The Global Internet Freedom Project, co-directed by Professors Dawn Nunziato and Arturo Carrillo, was established in 2011 to promote a deeper understanding of issues relating to the growing convergence of technology, internet freedom, and human rights. Research and advocacy support for the Global Internet Freedom Project is provided by students in the Civil and Human Rights Law Clinic.
Students work together with experts in the field on a range of contemporary issues at the intersection of law and technology, such as content regulation of harmful speech and disinformation; data protection and digital privacy rights; in addition to initiatives in support of self-regulation by companies in the information, communication, and technology (ICT) sector. Current and past work streams include:
Engaging Tech for Internet Freedom (ETIF)
Since 2024, the CHRL Clinic has collaborated with Article 19, a leading NGO dedicated to defending freedom of expression globally, on a regional strategy to promote and protect digital rights in the Asia-Pacific region. Countries like China, Myanmar, and Vietnam not only implement highly repressive internet restrictions at home, but they also seek to influence others in the region as well. Such authoritarian regimes strive to shape international standards in their interest. Domestic and transnational ICT companies struggle to uphold business and human rights norms when operating in these countries. The ETIF project aims to advance digital rights and promote greater company accountability through support for civil society organizations’ (CSOs) engagement with the private ICT sector in the region.
Working under the direction of the Clinic Director, Professor Arturo Carrillo, students on the ETIF project led the development of a set of new guidelines for civil society activists seeking to promote and defend business and human rights principles in authoritarian regimes, with a specific focus on issues affecting Internet freedom. Although initially produced for use by local civil society partners in the Asia-Pacific region, the Guidelines for Civil Society Organizations Engaging with ICT Companies in Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas are an important resource for digital rights activists working anywhere in the world. The CSO Guidelines are available in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese, and Uyghur.
- View All CSO Guidelines
Digital and Human Rights in Pakistan (DHRP)
The CHRL Clinic partners with Farieha Aziz, a Karachi-based journalist and co-founder of Bolo Bhi, a highly regarded advocacy group working for digital rights in Pakistan. This project focuses on supporting Farieha and Bolo Bhi in the face of the Pakistani government’s rampant abuses of human rights in general, and digital rights in particular. In prior years, Clinic students have conducted comparative law research for Bolo Bhi on a range of topics, including government abuse of criminal and civil defamation prosecutions; workplace harassment laws and the #MeToo movement; intermediary liability; First Amendment law and freedom of expression; and public sector disinformation. Their work on content regulation resulted in the publication of an article used by Bolo Bhi and other Pakistani digital rights advocates in their judicial and legislative advocacy. Similarly, students published an influential article analyzing criminal defamation laws under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Digital Privacy Rights Resource (DPRR)
The latest Clinic contribution arising from this collaboration is the Digital Privacy Rights Resource (DPRR), a dedicated webpage to analyzing key challenges to privacy rights online in the Pakistani context. Starting with the review of a high-profile Pakistani Supreme Court case arising from alleged government abuse of its surveillance powers, the DPRR examines related topics such as the international law framework on the right to privacy; the operation of business and human rights principles applied to ICT companies complicit in surveillance abuses; and comparative studies from the United States (on laws governing the search and seizure of electronic devices and digital evidence) and South Korea (the evolution of government surveillance powers and abuse thereof). These articles offer novel insights that advance research and advocacy efforts not just in Pakistan, but globally.
Digital Privacy Rights Resource
Promoting Business & Human Rights in the Tech Sector
Since 2011, GW Law has been an academic member of the Global Network Initiative (GNI), a multi-stakeholder initiative dedicated to promoting human rights in the ICT sector. Clinic students have collaborated with GNI leadership and staff on a range of related advocacy activities, including:
- ICT Companies and Armed Conflict
In 2024, Clinic students actively participated in an advanced three-part online learning series on the responsibilities and risks for tech companies operating in conflict affected areas. Organized by the Global Network Initiative (GNI), in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), this learning series led to a multi-sectorial discussion of the ways that ICT companies’ business activities can have an impact and be impacted in the context of armed conflict. It was intended to help those companies and other stakeholders improve their understanding of conflict-related risks and improve their ability to make responsible decisions to improve the protection of people in conflict settings. A summary report of the learning series is available in the following document, Exploring Tech Company Responsibility in Armed Conflict: An Online Learning Series.
- Country Legal Frameworks Resource
The Country Legal Frameworks Resource (CLFR) is a set of reports examining the legal authority of over 50 countries to intercept communications, obtain access to communications data, and restrict the content of communications. Between 2020 and 2023, several teams of Clinic students prepared country reports for a range of countries, including Colombia, Brazil, and Paraguay.