In a crisply worded declaration, over 100 civil society organizations and privacy experts from more than 40 countries have set out an expansive statement on the future of privacy. The Madrid Declaration affirms that privacy is a fundamental human right and reminds "all countries of their obligations to safeguard the civil rights of their citizens and residents." The Madrid Declaration warns that "privacy law and privacy institutions have failed to take full account of new surveillance practices." The Declaration urges countries "that have not yet established a comprehensive framework for privacy protection and an independent data protection authority to do so as expeditiously as possible." The civil society groups and experts recommend a "moratorium on the development or implementation of new systems of mass surveillance." Finally, the Declaration calls for the "establishment of a new international framework for privacy protection, with the full participation of civil society, that is based on the rule of law, respect for fundamental human rights, and support for democratic institutions." The Madrid Declaration was released at the Public Voice conference in Madrid on Global Privacy Standards. Multiple translations of the Declaration are available.
You can still sign the Madrid Declaration until January 28, 2010, International Privacy Day. Please, send your signature to privacy @ datos-personales DOT org
At the conference, Global Privacy Standards for a Global World, the team from Periodismo Ciudadano is live blogging about the event. A nice coverage of the panel: Activism and Privacy in a Global World has been released.
Alrededor de 200 expertos en privacidad, activistas y directores públicos del mundo entero se han reunido en Madrid para la conferencia sobre “Estándares Globales de Privacidad” organizada por la coalición La Voz Püblica. Los paneles tratarán “Derechos Humanos y Privacidad: Revisión Anual”; “Activistas en Privacidad: Principales Campañas”; “Tus datos en las Nubes: ¿Qué pasa si llueve?”; “Libertad de Movimiento: ¿Puentes, canales o paredes?”; “Hacia Estándares Internacionales de Privacidad”. Entre sus participantes están líderes en privacidad de España, la Unión Europea, el Parlamento Europeo, la OECD y Canadá. El evento se realiza en conjunto con la reunión anual de los Comisionados de Privacidad y Protección de Datos, en la que se espera que participen más de 1.000 personas de más de 50 países. El evento de La Voz Pública será transmitida vía cybercast y twitter @thepublicvoice #globalprivacy
Almost two hundred privacy experts, advocates, and governments officials from around the world gathered in Madrid for the "Global Privacy Standards" conference, organized by the Public Voice coalition. The event features panel discussions on “Privacy and Human Rights: The Year in Review,” "Privacy Activism: Major Campaigns, “Your Data in the Cloud: What if it Rains?,” "Transborder Data Flow: Bridges, Channels or Walls?," and "“Toward International Privacy Standards." Leading privacy officials from Spain, the European Union, the European Parliament, the OECD, and Canada are participating. The event is being held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Privacy and Data Protection Commissioners, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 participants from over fifty countries. The Public Voice event will also be cybercast and tweeted. @thepublicvoice #globalprivacy.
