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2003 Privacy and Human Rights Survey Released

Posted by michael on from the endangered-species dept.

Privacy Digest writes "Out-Law.com, UK - Global privacy report is the most comprehensive ever . The Electronic Privacy Information Center and Privacy International on Friday released their sixth annual Privacy and Human Rights survey which claims to be the most comprehensive survey on privacy and data protection ever published. The report reviews the state of privacy in over fifty-five countries around the world. Key topics include Total Information Awareness, the public response to the U.S.A.-Patriot Act, traveller profiling, biometric identification, and other new technologies of surveillance. Privacy and Human Rights 2003: An International Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments is available free online or it can be purchased from the EPIC Bookstore."

4 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Stop it by Kierthos · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"

    I don't know about you, but if every book I buy, every movie I watch, every phone call I make, every e-mail I send is being watched, catalogued, and analyzed, it infringes on my liberties, and doesn't make me very damned happy.

    The government does not have the right or the duty to effectively stalk its' citizens because it's "afraid".

    Ben Franklin still said it best: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

    Kierthos

    --
    Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
  2. Re:Stop it by Dutchmaan · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Sure, denial of privacy can reach extreme levels, to the point where it becomes a concern. But I think this report is a little knitpicky.

    You do realize that when the extreme levels happen, and becomes a concern, it is more often than not too late to make effective change.

    ..an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure seems to ring pretty clearly here.

  3. Re:Stop it by Trurl's+Machine · · Score: 5, Informative

    Privacy is not a basic human right. Not like freedom to not be murdered, beaten, or starved. There are a lot of human rights violations going on right now, but certain levels of tracking don't even show up on the human-rights-violations radar.

    The guys who wrote the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights almost half century ago seemed to have different opinion than yours ;-)

    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.

  4. European Convention on Human Rights by kmarius · · Score: 5, Informative

    Just to get a more official view:

    Quoted from European Convention on Human Rights (available in several languages)

    Article 8 - Right to respect for private and family life
    1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.
    2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.