THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY IN THE CONTEXT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The right to privacy is considered as one of fundamental, inalienable human rights, which should be protected in civilized society. However, changes in societies, growing of computer technologies raised new challenges to the system of ensuring the right to privacy. Some problematic issues, related to the right to privacy and legitimate expectation of the protection of the right to privacy, are presented in the article. The article consists of two parts. First part is devoted to discuss about the peculiarity of the right to privacy and emerging threats to privacy, which arise by using information technologies. There are different concepts of privacy and emerging main threats to individual privacy presented in the article. Second part of the article presents the need of legal protection of privacy in using informational technologies, especially in cyberspace, and analyzes international legal documents ensuring right to privacy. It was made a conclusion that during last decades, privacy has been one of the most problematical social issues related to development of digital electronic information technologies. A specific part of human lives has moved to cyberspace, individuals began to use digital technologies in many areas of life, especially in communication and
commerce. This situation has created new threats to human privacy. Therefore privacy became legally protected value. The right to privacy has been embedded into the main laws of many states – constitutions, international agreements, etc. International agreements oblige countries to keep the same high standard of ensuring individual‘s right to privacy. However, development of new technologies
simultaneously raised not only new threats for privacy, but also formulated a need for such legal regulation, which limits the right to privacy. Therefore EU Directives not only established the standards and principles of the protection of personal data and safe use of informational technologies, but also legitimized data retention in the field of Electronic Communications.