DIGITAL JUSTICE A STUDY AND ACTION GUIDE

The document argues that digital communication often amplifies existing offline injustices and creates new ones through digital divides, surveillance, and the weaponization of information. It advocates for a transformative movement based on communication rights, inclusive design, and the protection of privacy to ensure digital spaces serve human dignity rather than corporate profit or state control.

• Digital divides are gaps in access to technology, devices, and skills that are compounded by systemic issues like racism, misogyny, and colonialism. These divides are evident globally, with nearly half of the world's 8 billion people lacking internet access, and specific disparities such as women in South Asia being 70% less likely to own a smartphone than men.
• Digital public spaces are frequently controlled by a small number of powerful American technology companies that prioritize profit over user protection. This concentration of power leads to biased discourse and leaves marginalized groups—including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and racial minorities—vulnerable to online hate speech, harassment, and trolling.
• The weaponization of digital resources includes the spread of fake news, disinformation, and hate speech, as well as the militarization of technology. The document notes that false news on Twitter is 70% more likely to be retweeted than factual stories, and that military investment is driving an arms race in artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons.
• Digital surveillance has expanded significantly, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic through tools like contact tracing apps and vaccine certificates. This surveillance often targets marginalized groups; for example, facial recognition technology is noted for bias against women and people of colour, and 'smart' border management creates digital barriers for refugees and migrants.
• Digital justice is inextricably linked to ecological justice due to the environmental costs of the tech industry. This includes the impact of e-waste—with upwards of 150 million devices ending up in landfills annually—and the carbon footprint of 'The Cloud', which is described as larger than that of the 115,000 daily flights.
• The document identifies specific regional challenges to digital justice, such as the harvesting of data from 1.2 million Filipino Facebook users by Cambridge Analytica to influence political behavior, and the high levels of digital illiteracy in the Gaza Strip which leave residents vulnerable to online crime.

APA

Green, E. (2022). DIGITAL JUSTICE A STUDY AND ACTION GUIDE. World Association for Christian Communication. https://waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Digital-Justice-DIGITAL-compressed.pdf

Chicago

Green, Erin. DIGITAL JUSTICE A STUDY AND ACTION GUIDE. World Association for Christian Communication, 2022. https://waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Digital-Justice-DIGITAL-compressed.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Green |first1=Erin |title=DIGITAL JUSTICE A STUDY AND ACTION GUIDE |publisher=World Association for Christian Communication |date=2022 |url=https://waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Digital-Justice-DIGITAL-compressed.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{green2022digital, author = {Green, Erin}, title = {{DIGITAL JUSTICE A STUDY AND ACTION GUIDE}}, institution = {World Association for Christian Communication}, year = {2022}, url = {https://waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Digital-Justice-DIGITAL-compressed.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }