Social life is not complete without technology. People have become increasingly reliant on information and communication technologies as a result of the widespread usage of computers and related technologies. Internet, cell phones, and satellites are just a few of the essentials of daily life that use computers. The worldwide community pays attention to information technology advancements just as much as individuals do, and they have an impact on this society as well. In particular, the tools and techniques developed via the use of computers have established a cyberspace existence in addition to the real world, and this space has started to offer important advantages and conveniences in the day-to-day lives of people and communities.
Human rights in cyberspace is a relatively new and unexplored area of law. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has stated that freedom of expression and information under Article 19(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) includes freedom to receive and communicate information, ideas, and opinions on the Internet. An important clause is Article 19(3) of the ICCPR, which states: The exercise of the right provided for in paragraph 2 of of this article involves special duties and responsibilities. As a result, you may be subject to certain limitations, but these are only those required by law and necessary: (a) to respect the rights or reputation of others; (b) To protect national security or public order or public health and morals. The HRC has stated that “the same rights people have offline must be protected online” (notably mentioning freedom of expression). It is widely believed that this freedom of information must be balanced against other rights.
The question arises whether the human rights expectations of people in cyberspace are different. With the proliferation of hacking, viruses, and zero-day exploits, the World Wide Web (WWW) is an unsecured repository for storing sensitive private information. Cyberspace is a tool for people to exercise their freedom rights, but cyberspace cannot guarantee our freedom. Today, there are about 2.5 billion internet users. We live in a world where everyone has a long data trail, so internet security is a high priority Today, more people than ever have a common understanding of privacy or freedom of expression, and therefore share common ideas about how to protect their private data and secure Internet freedom to censorship, some more than others. Countries will do this in different ways. For example, with the internet police. There are many methods to filter and censor the exercise of liberties.
The EU has invested in many filter projects such as NETprotect I and II, ICRAsafe and the PRINCIP program. It has been argued that self-censorship by internet users is probably the most serious threat to internet freedom. Mass surveillance and the fear of private communications becoming public lead to self-censorship. This results in people no longer using search engines or social media to express their personal beliefs, ideas, or opinions as certain keywords may raise concerns with national security authorities, making the internet a tool for tampering policies.
Vuntie is a Social Purpose Corporation founded in 2019 with the mission to defend freedom, privacy, and security in cyberspace. The company is developing exciting technologies to combat mass surveillance and other threats to privacy.