Canadian Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien and international counterparts are asking legislators ‘to reaffirm their commitment to privacy as a right and value in itself.’ (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press/file)

Recognize privacy as a human right, urge world’s guardians

Canada’s privacy commissioner has joined counterparts from around the world to urge that privacy be recognized as a fundamental human right which is vital to the protection of other democratic rights. Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien and international counterparts adopted a resolution on privacy at a conference on data protection In Tirana, Albania.

They note that the “United Nations declared privacy an inalienable and universal human right in 1948, and in 1966 the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights reaffirmed the central role that privacy plays in democracy.”

The Tirana resolution is said to play an important next step and notes that there is growing support on privacy issues from civil society, academia, media organization and legal professionals.

Technology has made the collection of private information easy and an increasingly pressing concern around the world. (iStock)

Legislators urged to review and update protection

The privacy guardians call on legislators to update privacy and data protection laws and apply them to political activities. It also asks businesses to show accountability across commercial activities, urges civil society organizations to exert their privacy rights and that all organizations assess risks to privacy, fairness and freedom before using artificial intelligence.

As stated on its website, 

“The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) is responsible for overseeing two federal privacy laws:

The Privacy Act, which covers the personal information-handling practices of federal government departments and agencies.

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which covers the personal information-handling practices of businesses.”

Categories: International, Internet, Science & Technology, Society
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