Security and privacy
COVID-19 has led to a surge of efforts by both state and private actors to manage the pandemic itself, and the consequences of it, with the aid of technology. Yet privacy has immediately been cast as a required trade-off in the efforts to combat the disease.
South Korea succeeded in epidemic prevention because it conducted active inspections based on tracking the whereabouts of confirmed patients. However, it should not be forgotten that behind the scenes is an electronic monitoring system that allows our every move to be tracked at any time.
Al Munasq, a dangerous application launched by Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (COGAT) unit last year, violates Palestinians' privacy and can lead to other human rights violations.
Data protection in Africa can still be described to be in its nascent stage. Most African states do not have a data protection law. This paper by Tomiwa Ilori considers the status of data protection in Africa and the impact of public emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic on data protection in Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa and Mauritius.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a need for solutions to “flatten the curve”. This essay by Rumbidzai Matamba and Chenai Chair employs the use of the South African government’s contact tracing initiatives to assess whether the social contract theory can be employed as a tool to justify privacy violations for public health.
This paper by Amanda Manyame explores the adequacy of the COVID-19 regulations enacted in South Africa as they pertain to protection of the personal and health data being collected in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The newly launched position paper, available in English, French and Portuguese, consolidates Coalition members’ assessment of, and positions on, the promotion, protection and exercise of human rights online in the context of COVID-19.
The House of Representatives has approved a controversial anti-terrorism bill and is rushing it through final reading. Human rights groups are condemning the grossly misplaced priorities of the Philippine Congress when the people are struggling with a global pandemic.
Over the past decade, states across the globe have enacted digital laws to cope with the unique and evolving challenges posed by the internet. We are launching a campaign to raise awareness and foster discussions on the human rights impact of these laws, with a special focus on Asia.
This position paper is informed by monitoring conducted by the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms (AfDec) Coalition of developments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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