Konstantinos Kakavoulis of Homo Digitalis, represented the organization in the United National Human Rights Council 39th session (Geneva, 10-28 September 2018).
In a joint statement with the International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD) and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ), Homo Digitalis spoke under the General Debate on Item 2 on the right to privacy in the digital age.
Full text of the statement:
Mr. President,
We would like to thank the High Commissioner for her oral update and wish her luck and success in her endeavour for the protection of human rights in a constantly changing world.
EAFORD, Geneva International Centre for Justice and Homo Digitalis would like to focus particularly in the High Commissioner’s Report on the Right to Privacy in the Digital Age.
The Internet reforms our society as a whole, but also the human existence in itself, by creating a new, digital representation of ourselves; a digital personality, which is not necessarily identical to our real personality, but enjoys the same freedoms and rights.
To this end, the High Commissioner’s Report is more acute than ever.
We wish to underline that ensuring the protection of individuals against unlawful or arbitrary interference from surveillance measures requires that effective national legal frameworks are in place.
However in many jurisdictions, national legislation is non-existent, ambiguous or outdated.
Even under the EU’s GDPR, a milestone in the protection of the right to privacy in the digital age, governments still have ample scope to claim that national security justifies attacks on privacy.
We urge all States, civil society and stakeholders to work towards giving individuals knowledge and tools necessary to look after themselves.
We should always remember that the only non-legal instrument that is powerful enough to provoke change is human conscience.
Thank you.