Constitutional Human Rights and Freedoms in the light of Digitalization of Public Relations

The introduction of digital technologies into the sphere of human rights and freedoms is ambiguous, leading to a blurring of established ideas about constitutional human rights and freedoms. In general, all groups of constitutional human rights and freedoms have been digitalized. The use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence has contributed to the creation of new forms of implementation of constitutional rights and freedoms. However, digitalization has also created new threats that can only be neutralized by creating new legal mechanisms. Practice has shown that law as a universal social regulator is applicable to regulating public relations in the digital environment. Spontaneous instruments of self-regulation are not based on basic constitutional principles, including the recognition of human rights and freedoms as the highest value, therefore, they cannot serve as the main source of regulation. In the context of rapidly developing technologies and changing public relations, the importance of constitutional principles, as well as human rights and freedoms, as a basic value, the foundation for building new legal relations in the digital environment and creating new digital rights is increasing. 

In particular, given the extent of the penetration of digital technologies into the implementation of constitutional human rights and freedoms, it is necessary first of all to legislate the guarantee of human access to the Internet as a condition for the implementation of constitutional rights and freedoms in the digital environment, as well as to supplement the provisions prohibiting discrimination of human rights and freedoms depending on the form of rights and freedoms implementation.

1. Antonov YaV. Electronic democracy as a political and legal mechanism for coordinating private and public interests. Rossiyskaya yustitsiya [Russian Justitia]. 2017;12:38-41. (In Russ.).

2. Avakyan SA. Constitutional law of Russia: A course book. In 2 volumes. Vol. 1. 2nd ed., rev. and suppl. Moscow: Jurist Pub.; 2007. (In Russ.).

3. Avakyan SA. The information space of knowledge, the digital world and constitutional law. Konstitutsionnoe i munitsipalnoe pravo [Constitutional and Municipal Law]. 2019;7:23-28. (In Russ.).

4. Berners-Lee T. Weaving the Web: Origins and Future of the World Wide Web. Texere Publishing; 1999.

5. Borisov IB, Golovin AG, Ignatov AV. Elections in the world: Features of the referendum process. Use and electoral technologies. Borisov IB (ed.). Moscow: ROIIP Publ.; 2018. (In Russ.).

6. Cherevko TS, Gladkova AA. Online media in the languages of ethnic groups of Russia. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 10. Zhurnalistika. 2016;5:56-72. (In Russ.).

7. Danilov NA. Legal regulation of access to information of an Internet user after his death: A comparative legal study. Zhurnal zarubezhnogo zakonodatelstva i sravnitelnogo pravovedeniya [Journal of Foreign Legislation and Comparative Law]. 2021;17(1):86-101. (In Russ.).

8. Dzidzoev RM, Lolaeva AS. Digital constitutional law: Raising the issue. Konstitutsionnoe i munitsipalnoe pravo [Constitutional and Municipal Law]. 2022;6:17-20. (In Russ.).

9. Ebzeev BS. Constitution, power and freedom in Russia: The experience of synthetic research. Moscow: Prospekt Publ.; 2014. (In Russ.).

10. Gadzhiev KhI. The evolution of judicial power in the information society. Zhurnal zarubezhnogo zakonodatelstva i sravnitelnogo pravovedeniya [Journal of Foreign Legislation and Comparative Law]. 2023;19(5):79-91. (In Russ.).

11. Glushkova SI, Letunov ED. The development of human rights in the context of the digitalization of society: Current trends in digital reality. Theories and Problems of Political Studies. 2021;10(5A):11-27. (In Russ.).

12. Khalin VG, Chernova GV. Digitalization and its impact on the Russian economy and society: Advantages, challenges, threats and risks. Upravlencheskoe konsultirovanie. 2018;10:46-63. (In Russ.).

13. Kolesnikov EV. Development of information rights of citizens in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan: Constitutional aspect. Rossiyskaya yustitsiya [Russian Justitia]. 2019;1:13-16. (In Russ.).

14. Koneva NS. Digitalization of the state and state power. In: Podshivalova TP, Titovoy EV, Gromovoy EA (eds.). The Law of the digital environment: A monograph. Moscow: Prospekt Publ.; 2022. Pp. 232–244. (In Russ.).

15. Kucherova II, Sinitsyna SA (eds.). Digital economy: Current directions of legal regulation. A study guide. Moscow: Norma: IZiSP Publ.; 2022. (In Russ.).

16. Leskina EI. Digitalization and the human right to a healthy environment. In: Shakhnovskaya IV, Solovyov PV (eds.). Law and digital technologies. Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference, Novopolotsk, November 25, 2022. Euphrosyne Polotskaya State University of Polotsk. Novopolotsk: Euphrosyne Polotskaya State University of Polotsk Publ.; 2023. Pp. 52–55. (In Russ.).

17. Maksimov AA. Features of the constitutional and legal regulation of the implementation of certain political rights and freedoms of man and citizen in the Russian Federation on the Internet. Cand. Sci. (Law) Diss. Moscow; 2021. (In Russ.).

18. Malysheva IV. Social networks as a legal phenomenon. Sibirskiy yuridicheskiy vestnik [Siberian Law Herald]. 2023;2(101):10-16. (In Russ.).

19. Markhgeim MV, Polukhin ON, Tovstukha OO. Protection of human and civil rights and freedoms in the sphere of executive power: The experience of the Russian Federation and the states of Central and Eastern Europe.

20. A monograph. Rostov n/D: Rostizdat Publ.; 2011. (In Russ.).

21. Negroponte N. Being Digital. New York: Knopf; 1995.

22. Nimyaev EA. The place of religion in the digital communication system: A «space for community» and a digital religious surrogate. Bulletin of the Leningrad State University named after A.S. Pushkin. 2023;3:171-183. (In Russ.).

23. Pashentsev DA. The Russian legislative tradition facing the challenge of digitalization. Zhurnal Rossiyskogo Prava [Journal of Russian Law]. 2019;2:11-12. (In Russ.).

24. Popova OA. New subjects of the information society and the knowledge society: The issue of regulatory environment. Zhurnal Rossiyskogo Prava [Journal of Russian Law]. 2018;11:14-24. (In Russ.).

25. Postnikov AE, editor. The legal status of a person and a citizen in a changing world: A monograph. Moscow: IZiSP under the Government of the Russian Federation: Norma: Infra-M Publ.; 2023. (In Russ.).

26. Riordan J. The Liability of Internet Intermediaries. Oxford; 2016.

27. Savchenko EA. Cultural human rights in the context of digitalization. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Pravo [Tomsk State University Journal. Law]. 2023;49:151-164. (In Russ.).

28. Savenkov AN, editor. Transformations of human rights in the modern world: A monograph. Moscow: Norma, Infra-M Publ.; 2023. (In Russ.).

29. Talapina EV. Human rights and digital sovereignty. Gosudarstvennaya vlast i mestnoe samoupravlenie. 2020;6:10-15. (In Russ.).

30. Vasilyeva EI, Orfonidiy AV. Platforms of civic participation as a direction of digitalization of public administration. Munitsipalitet: ekonomika i upravlenie. 2022;3:49-60. (In Russ.).

31. Vorontsova IV, editor. Transformation and digitalization of the legal regulation of public relations in modern realities and conditions of the pandemic: A collective monograph. Kazan: Otechestvo Publ.; 2020. (In Russ.). Zorkin VD. Law in the digital world. Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 2018. May 31. (In Russ.).