English abstract
Digital Human Rights and Digital Police
Like other societies of the world, Arab societies have witnessed a digital transformation that has led to dependence on information and communication technology and the internet in all areas of life. Moreover, the digital revolution has resulted in the emergence of information society, and spread of new rights known as "digital rights", which are indispensable to preserving human dignity against threats of the digital age. Since police are the primary protector of public rights and freedoms, it is their responsibility to protect digital human rights and promote its respect in all fields, including the field of law enforcement. However, lack of digital rights awareness among Arab police forces and the incomplete readiness of security forces to face the challenges of the digital age, both constitute the research problem and the basis of its importance, objectives, questions and hypotheses.
The study was divided into three sections; the first dealt with the definition of digital human rights, explaining their meaning and scope by presenting the definitions of international organizations. In addition, it clarifies the social, economic and political dimensions of digital rights, and highlighting the importance of Arab police forces to be familiar with these modern rights.
The second section discussed the violations against digital human rights and determined those violations related to the financial and ethical aspects of digital rights. Also, it identified digital human rights violations that police forces are accused of committing.
As for the third section titled: the role of the police in protecting and promoting digital human rights, it dealt with international and national legal frameworks which support the function of police in protecting digital rights. Furthermore, it contained a review of the efforts and initiatives of international and regional police agencies in protecting and promoting digital human rights, besides the efforts of the Arab police forces in this aspect. Finally, the study was supported by a questionnaire on the awareness and readiness of Arab police forces to deal with digital human rights issues, with the aim of providing more realistic results that serve modernisation of police practices in the field.
