EFF Welcomes The United Nations’ New Privacy Watchdog
The President of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) appointed Mr. Cannataci last week following the March 2015 HRC resolution that called to appoint a new Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy for a period of three years.
Bringing more than thirty years of experience in the area of privacy, law, and technology, Mr. Cannataci’s new position represents a great opportunity to develop best practices and global standards aimed to protect privacy in an era of constant pervasive surveillance. He will play a crucial role in developing a common substantive interpretation of the right to privacy in a variety of settings and will be responsible for carrying out systematic analyses and research, and monitoring on the right across the world. Mr. Cannataci will also play a role in providing much-needed guidance to states and companies on the interpretation of the right to privacy.
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The creation of a Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy in the digital age has elevated the right to privacy to the priority level that the Human Rights Council ascribes to most other human rights.