A commonly held belief is that one of the primary characteristics of the modern age is the extraordinary availability of electronic communication that affects not only basic science but also all aspects of political discourse and development. These resources provide enormously rich possibilities for data discovery and connections. At the same time, large proportions of the globe continue to experience considerable political tension and strife with high levels of violence that affect civilian communities in a variety of potentially measurable ways. The availability of electronic resources for data gathering including traditional information sources but also includes video, satellite monitoring, and network intelligence. This information presents considerable opportunity for monitoring and advancing the causes of human rights while presenting challenges for statistical analysis and interpretation. This session will focus on methods that attempt to harness the power of these resources in advancing the cause of human rights globally through international communication and cooperation. Examples include the assessment of civilian casualty counts in times of conflict, other measures of human rights issues such as human trafficking, and the interplay between the media and scientists on human rights information reporting.