Safeguarding Peoples' Dignity

On International Migrants Day, we reflect on wins and losses in the fight against violations of migrants’ rights.

Support systems are undergoing significant digitisation and automation under the banner of efficiency. Privacy International calls for the impacts of these innovations on the rights of people with disabilities to be comprehensively assessed and addressed.

GPS ankle tags are used around the world in the criminal justice and immigration enforcement sectors, to monitor people's location 24/7. How do these tags work? What's the impact on people made to wear them? We've tested some to find out.

The UK puts migrants under 24/7 GPS surveillance. As usual, private companies are outsourced to deliver this hostile policy - who are they? We've investigated.

After a consultation held in 2021 to which Privacy International responded, the government has now decided not to expand the powers of its "National Fraud Initiative". However, recent changes in the UK welfare landscape point to troubling plans for the future.

The privatisation of migration control and policing takes different shapes and forms.

The latest iteration comes in disguise – specifically, in four pastel colours: if you were to look at this company's main website, in fact, you'd only find wristbands and tools to monitor the well-being of elderly people who live alone. But as stated in their annual report, the majority of British company Buddi's revenue originates from the criminal justice market.

Privacy International ("PI") researched a number of social safety-net projects financed by the World Bank during the COVID-19 pandemic. To inform the World Bank's future implementation of these kinds of projects, this article reflects on how certain aspects of social protection projects can inadvertently lead to excessive surveillance of marginalised communities, impact equal access to urgent social protection disbursements, and interfere with people's dignity and right to privacy.

Privacy International has been researching how emergency welfare responses have been handled in different countries in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the variety of socio-economic and political contexts of the countries researched, PI has found that a lot of them share common concerning elements along the benefit disbursement process, namely the automation of eligibility processes, lack of transparency, excessive data collection, security issues in disbursement methods and more.

Technology and data are increasingly used for immigration enforcement, putting migrants’ fate in the hands of systems driven by data processing and algorithmic decision making.

As the UK plans a future of dynamic risk assessments for visa applicants, the collection of biographic and biometric data and automated data sharing, we explore the degree to which privacy and data protection laws can defend migrants against abuses of their data and seek redress when their rights are denied.

Short Message Services (SMS) are being used in MHealth initiatives which aim to deliver crucial information to expecting and new mothers. But there are concerns that there is limited transparency about numerous aspects of SMS health services, and how the data is being processed, by whom and in accordance to what safeguards.

In this piece we outline the main discussions and measures we need to see being systematically adopted to inform decision-making about digital solutions in the health sector, and provide examples of where these were not integrated in decision-making processes and with what consequences.

Governments have been digitising their health systems and, more broadly, healthcare. We provide an overview of what digital health initiatives have been rolled out, for what purpose, where and by who, as well as some of the concerns they raise for the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms.

PI has put together an analysis of some of the most used Foundational ID systems worldwide.

An overview of how the EU works extensively with non-EU countries to introduce biometric ID systems in order to "manage" migration and borders, and recommendations on possible ways to mitigate the risks

This articles explores the use of digital loan Apps in Philippines and Kenya and highlights some of the common concerns that emanate from the unregulated use of such Apps.

The global Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for technology-intensive initiatives for welfare distribution, coming at a high cost to human rights and inclusion: enforcing automated discrimination, exacerbating existing inequalities and compromising access to essential benefits.

In response to the pandemic, the Colombian National Development office devised an unconditional cash transfer programme in only two weeks. The beneficiary selection process, which was solely based on data already held by the government, remains shrouded in obscurity.

Millions of people rely on India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) to receive subsidised food rations, which have become an essential ingredient of survival for many families during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, access to food rations is not guaranteed for all beneficiaries, with many women being left without access to food at a time of crisis.

In 2019, the UK Department for Work and Pensions published their two-part staff guide on conducting fraud investigations. Privacy International went through the 995 pages to understand how those investigations happen and how the DWP is surveilling benefits claimants suspected of fraud.

Following the publication of their investigation guide, we asked the DWP how the people they investigate get flagged. The answer? By an algorithm.

The Constitutional Court of South Africa declared that bulk interception by the South African National Communications Centre is unlawful and invalid.

Hablamos con representantes de organizaciones transgénero en Argentina, Francia y en Filipinas para entender cómo los sistemas de identificación están impactando sus vidas, y los marcos legales que les están ayudando.

We spoke to trans-right activists in three country: the Philippines, France and Argentina to understand how ID systems in their countries are impacting their lives and how certain legal frameworks may help them.

The deployment of vaccines, and in particular any "vaccination passport or “immunity passport” or certificate linked to the vaccination, must respect human rights.

We asked five menstruation apps to give us access to our data. We got a dizzying dive into the most intimate information about us.

Could private companies be the only ones really profitting from digital welfare? This overview looks at the big players.

A digital ID that proves immunity will raise serious human rights issues. And the failure of the digital ID industry to deal with the issues of exclusion, exploitation and discrimination puts the entire industry under question.

This article presents some of the tools and techniques deployed as part surveillance practices and data-driven immigration policies routinely leading to discriminatory treatment of peoplee and undermining peoples’ dignity, with a particular focus on the UK.

As migration continues to be high on the social and political agenda, Western countries are increasingly adopting an approach that criminalises people at the border. Asylum seekers are often targeted with intrusive surveillance technologies and afforded only limited rights (including in relation to data protection), often having the effect of being treated as “guilty until proven innocent”.

A recent report explains how the central German migration authority uses mobile phone extraction technology in the asylum application procedure, and why it is highly problematic.

This country case-study was informed by research carried out by Coding Rights (Laura Alonso and Joana Varon).

This country case-study was informed by research authored by Tasneem Mewa, and edited by Ambika Tandon and Aayush Rathi at the Centre for Internet and Society.

This country case-study was informed by research carried out by KELIN.

This country case-study was informed by research carried out by Paz Peña.

This country case-study was informed by research carried out by the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam).

This country case-study was informed by research carried out by Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia Y Género (ELA)

In October 2019 Privacy International sent Freedom of Information Act requests to every Local Authority in Great Britain in relation to their use of social media monitoring. You can find our report here. 

Below are extracts from the annual reports of the The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) and Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPC) which relate to Local Authorities use of social media monitoring. 

The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) and subsequently the Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPC) regulate and oversee how public authorities use the investigatory powers available to them under existing law.

In October 2019 Privacy International sent Freedom of Information Act requests to every Local Authority in Great Britain in relation to their use of social media monitoring. You can find our report here. 

A number of policies and guidance documents developed by Local Authorities which have been disclosed to Privacy International in response to the Freedom of Information Act requests relating to social media monitoring, cite the Home Office Covert Surveillance and Property Interference Code of Practice, August 2018. 

Below are the relevant extracts from the Home Office Covert Surveillance and Property Interference Code of Practice, August 2018 which relate to social media monitoring conducted by Local Authorities. 

In October 2019 Privacy International sent Freedom of Information Act requests to every Local Authority in Great Britain in relation to their use of social media monitoring. This is a full copy of that request. You can read our report here. 

UK Local Authorities are looking at people’s social media accounts as part of their intelligence gathering and investigation tactics.

This country case-study was informed by research carried out by Hiperderecho.

Our partner organisation InternetLab has been researching the Bolsa Familia Program and its consequences for gender and privacy, here are the first results.

As the UK is about to launch its app to trace potential Coronavirus patients; as it launches its 'pilot' we look at its technical functionalities.

Governments around the globe are adopting emergency welfare measures in the form of Covid-19 benefits. However, these short-term solutions often fall short of basic human rights safeguards, foreshadowing a concerning future for benefits claimants.

The ongoing requirement for asylum-seekers to register their claim for asylum in person reveals the Home Office's misplaced and onerous emphasis on biometrics collection at the expense of asylum-seekers' health

The Israeli intelligence services have been tracking Covid-19 patients for contact tracing. As the High Court condemned the measure, what can the rest of the world learn from this controversial experiment?

Africa is a testing ground for technologies produced elsewhere: as a result, personal data of its people are increasingly stored in hundreds of databases.

PI presents its analysis of the Huduma Numba judgment in three parts: the clear wins, the parts that make some small steps forward but could have been better and the dissapointing losses.

CIS, PI's partner in India, posits health monitoring as surveillance and not merely as a “data problem.”

Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day to celebrate relationships, but many relationships that begin romantically can quickly become controlling, with partners reading emails, checking texts and locations of social media posts. This can be just the beginning.

Today, Friday 14th February, Privacy International and Women’s Aid are launching a series of digital social media cards giving women practical information on how to help stay safe digitally from control and abuse.

A look at attempts to dismantle smuggling networks in the Sahara, powered by Europe's gifts of surveillance.

Spotlight on PI's Reproductive Rights and Privacy Project!

The EU gives millions to surveillance companies, universities, and government agencies to develop cutting-edge surveillance technologies.

Exclusive - Privacy International obtains contract between the UK Department of Health and Amazon.

Niger has recently joined other countries in creating a biometric database that will be used in the upcoming elections.

Governments across the world are building technologically integrated programmes to allow citizens to access welfare payments, and these could have adverse effects on those they should be supporting.

PI undertook dynamic analysis of various menstrution apps using its own data interception environment to look at the data they share with Facebook.

Civic spaces where we are free to develop, protest and preserve our intergrity and autonomy are increasingly under threat as new surveillance technologies are radically transforming the ability of authorities to monitor them.