David
Banisar
Electronic Privacy Information
Center
Washington, DC, USA
Privacy International
London, UK
This survey, by
EPIC and Privacy International, reviews the state
of privacy in over fifty countries around the world. The
survey examines a wide range of privacy issues including,
data protection, telephone tapping, genetic databases, ID
systems and freedom of information laws. The report finds
that there is a worldwide regocnition of privacy as a fundamental
human right. Many countries around the world are
enacting comprehenisve data protection law to
safeguard individual privacy increase. However at the
same time, privacy is increasingly being undermined by
technical advances and the demands of intelligence and
law enforcement agencies for increase surveillance powers.
There is a strong need for improved oversight and stricter
enforcement of current laws to ensure that legal
protections are not ignored as threats to personal
privacy increase.
