Human Rights on the Internet

As part of a recommendation approved by its Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe has produced a guide to human rights protection on the Internet. Human rights and fundamental freedoms apply equally offline and online. This principle includes respect for the rights and freedoms of other Internet users.

The guide provides information on what rights and freedoms mean in practice in the context of the Internet, how they can be relied and acted upon, as well as how to access remedies. It is based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other Council of Europe conventions and instruments that deal with various aspects of human rights protection. The guide is also inspired by the continuous interpretation of these rights and freedoms by the European Court of Human Rights.