Human Rights Council 37: UK Statement on the right to Privacy
This UK statement was delivered at the 37th Session of the Human Rights Council during the Clustered Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Privacy, held on 6 March 2018.
The Human Rights Council takes place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva
The UK thanks the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy for his report.
The rise of digital communications and technologies has opened up many opportunities for people to communicate and do business. We recognise that these opportunities have led to concerns over privacy and data protection, and we acknowledge our obligation to safeguard our citizens, their right to freedom of expression and to privacy. We strongly believe that all human rights apply in the online world just as they do offline.
The UK believes that States can and should deliver both privacy and security. In the UK we have overhauled the investigatory powers framework resulting in the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 which provides world-leading transparency and privacy protection, including an overarching clause that sets out the privacy considerations that must be taken into account before issuing any warrant, authorisation or notice.
The UK would like to ask the Special Rapporteur what he sees as the biggest risks to privacy in the future and how states can work to counter them.