Essay On Digital Privacy

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FOREIGN SURVEILLANCE AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS: A PANOPTIC VIEW INTRODUCTION It was in the 20th century that technology started affecting our everyday lives. To claim that the rest is history is the emptiest of clichés. However, no words can truly explain how profoundly dependant we are on technology. From smart phones and internet to Wi-Fi and GPS enabled devices, technology has amplified access to communication manifold and has brought the world closer, at least virtually. An overwhelming number of people are today conducting their lives through the internet and mobile phones. But all this comes at a cost. Growing terrorism and other trans-national crimes, states’ snooping nature and their enhanced technological capacities, have led to colossal mass surveillance.…show more content…
Thus, it has been stipulated in Article 12 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Article 17 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in almost similar words. An important question is whether right to privacy includes right to digital privacy as well. It was for the first time in July 2012 that the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) affirmed that “the same rights people have offline must also be protected online.” Later, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution reinstating the same. Right to privacy cannot be restricted to a person’s body, family, home, correspondence or his reputation offline and extends to his online activities including use and exchange of personal data over various social media fora, email, etc. This is often referred to as digital privacy or informational privacy. Article 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union specifically recognizes the right to protection of personal data of an individual. LEGALITY OF SURVEILLANCE IN LIGHT OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS

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