Securing Human Rights Online, Essential Services for Immigrants, and More

January 20, 2022

After revelations that NSO Group’s spyware was used to break into the phones of politicians, journalists, and civil rights activists, the Israeli company appears to be on the verge of collapse. The fallout from this saga offers important lessons for policymakers, researchers, and activists aiming to secure human rights online, Matt Tait, Runa Sandvik, and Tarah Wheeler write.

The Trump administration’s public charge rule essentially counted the use of specific health or human services programs or expected future use of those services as a negative when evaluating specific immigration applications. Despite the rollback of this rule by the Biden administration, mixed-status immigrant families may still be hesitant to apply for public assistance programs in fear of jeopardizing their immigration statuses, says Gabriel Sanchez.

The digital economy can help create a more prosperous future. But to maximize its potential, opportunities must be expanded to smaller firms and wider segments of the global labor force. Zia Qureshi outlines ways to revamp policies for the digital era, with guidance on competition policy, education and training, the innovation ecosystem, and more.

Help support Brookings with a donation

Brookings is committed to making its high-quality, independent policy research free to the public. Please consider making a contribution today to our Annual Fund to support our experts' work.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

Manage your newsletter preferences | Receive the Brookings Brief less often