Digital Welfare States and Human Rights
This UN report warns against the risks of digital welfare systems, emphasizing their potential to undermine human rights through increased surveillance, automation, and privatization of public services.
The report, authored by Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, critiques the global shift toward digital welfare states, where social protection programs increasingly rely on automated systems, predictive analytics, and data surveillance.
While governments justify these changes as efficiency-driven, the report highlights concerns over privacy violations, biased algorithms, exclusion of marginalized groups, and a growing lack of accountability. It calls for stronger regulatory frameworks, human rights-based governance, and resistance to digital-only service models that can strip individuals of dignity and essential protections​.
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