Module 0: Introduction to Privacy
An introduction to privacy and the various international agreements regarding privacy.
- Privacy is a qualified, fundamental human right. The right to privacy is articulated in all of the major international and regional human rights instruments, including the:
- United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948, Article 12: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.”
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1966, Article 17: “1. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his honour or reputation. 2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.”
- Generally speaking, privacy includes the right to be free from interference and intrusion, to associate freely with whom you want, to be able to control who can see or use information about you.
- Privacy allows for norms, ethics, and laws to be freely discussed, tested, challenged, and evaluated. Democracy, therefore, cannot flourish and develop, nor indeed exist, without privacy.
- Over 130 countries have constitutional statements regarding the protection of privacy, in every region of the world.
- Being able to make decisions privately without being scrutinized – and controlling how and to what extent that private information is communicated to others – is at the very core of personhood and individuality. A lack of privacy can lead to self-censorship and therefore a loss in a piece of who you are.
- A great organization to contact for more information and support is privacyinternational.org.