Human rights and encryption

rdf:langString Human rights and encryption

rdf:langString Wolfgang Schulz, Joris van Hoboken

rdf:langString CC BY SA 3.0 IGO

rdf:langString UNESCO

rdf:langString Human rights and encryption

rdf:langString Human rights applied to encryption is a concept of freedom of expression where encryption is a technical resource in the implementation of basic human rights. With the evolution of the digital age, the application of freedom of speech becomes more controversial as new technologies and restrictions arise, along with governmental and commercial interests. From a human rights perspective, there is a growing awareness that encryption is a core component in realizing a free, open and trustworthy Internet. Human rights are moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behavior and are regularly protected as legal rights in municipal and international law. They are commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights "to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being", and which are "inherent in all human beings" regardless of their nationality, location, language, religion, ethnic origin or any other status. They are applicable everywhere and at every time in the sense of being universal, and they are egalitarian in the sense of being the same for everyone. Cryptography is a long-standing subject in the field of mathematics and computer science. It can generally be defined as "the protection of information and computation using mathematical techniques." In the OECD Guidelines, encryption and cryptography are defined as follows: "Encryption" means the transformation of data by the use of cryptography to produce unintelligible data (encrypted data) to ensure its confidentiality. "Cryptography" means the discipline which embodies principles, means, and methods for the transformation of data to hide its information content, establish its authenticity, prevent its undetected modification, prevent its repudiation, and/or prevent its unauthorized use. Encryption and cryptography are often used synonymously, although "cryptographic" has a broader technical meaning. For example, a digital signature is "cryptographic," but it is not technically "encryption". The human rights aspects related to the availability and use of a technology of particular significance for the field of information and communication are recognized in many places. Freedom of expression is recognized as a human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Article 19 of the UDHR states that "everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference" and "everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice".