Cybersecurity and Human Rights

 Speakers

  • Katrin NYMAN METCALF, Cybersecurity East Project expert, Estonia
  • Marko JURIC, Deputy Dean Law Faculty, Zagreb University, Croatia
  • Eve HUNTER, Cybersecurity East Project expert, Germany

  Moderator

  • Besnik LIMAJ, Team Leader, Cybersecurity East project

  This webinar is organized in the framework of joint European Union and Council of Europe CyberEast project aiming to support cyber resilience of the Eastern Partnership countries, together with CybersecurityEast project.

 Language: English only

 Outline

 Date and time

  • Thursday, 17 December 2020 | 15:00 CET

 Duration and format

  • 1h presentations and dedicated questions + 1h general discussions

 Audience

  • Particularly useful for officials and policy makers responsible for cybercrime and cybersecurity, as well as human rights specialists, criminal justice authorities (judges, prosecutors, law enforcement agencies), non-governmental organisations and researchers/academia with an interest in the subject.
  • This activity of the CyberEast project is open for participation to other beneficiary countries in different regions covered by the C-PROC.

Background

Since onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, majority of affected societies had to adjust to living and working online, safe, thus making free and uninterrupted access to information and communication technology more important than ever before. Naturally, this shift has brought questions and concerns related but not limited to privacy and security of such communications.

While there is fairly limited but nevertheless growing body of regulation, research and case law concerning human rights safeguards and guarantees applicable to fight against cybercrime and use of electronic evidence in criminal cases – due to cybercrime being a criminal justice matter in the first place - cybersecurity and relevant human rights guarantees remain an area less addressed and discussed in balanced manner. Too often, the debate on the subject matter is bringing together highly polarising views along the lines of “security versus freedom” rather than seeking balance in recognizing potential positive and negative effects of strengthening cybersecurity for individual rights and freedoms. 

Objectives

The purpose of the webinar is to provide a practical and down-to-earth discussion about the current state of human rights safeguards and guarantees applicable to state policies, regulations and measures to ensure security of cyberspace, against the background of COVID-19 pandemic.

The webinar is intended to focus on the following aspects of cybersecurity and human rights:

  • How cybersecurity policies and their application can protect rights and fundamental freedoms;
  • How cybersecurity policies and their application can negatively affect rights and fundamental freedoms;
  • Similarities between cybersecurity and cybercrime measures in protecting human rights and freedoms;
  • The ways in which COVID-19 pandemic affected the balance and status quo regarding the subject matter.

The webinar is designed to encourage an interactive participation and to facilitate information sharing among participants, discussing relevant experiences, good practices, challenges, and opportunities.

Expected outcomes

  • Identify key rights of individuals and fundamental freedoms affected by cybersecurity policies and their application, in view also of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • Identify rights and freedoms that cybersecurity strives to enforce and protect, including positive obligation of states to ensure security, and how this is relevant in COVID-19 circumstances;
  • Explore links between cybersecurity and cybercrime measures in human rights context.

Resources