The right to intimacy and privacy

The need for intimacy it’s part of being human. In order to develop and develop our identity and personality, we must understand certain aspects of our individual life. In this way, we understand that human beings have a private life, that part that is not dedicated to a public activity and to which third parties should not have access.

It is clear that with the evolution of new technologies, some personal rights are more threatened, such as the right to intimacy and privacy. As well as the combination of these rights and the right to freedom of information, especially since the development of social networks and the Internet.

This article will analyze the right to privacy and privacy, its limits and its relationship with new technologies.

The right to privacy and private life

Respect for private life and intimacy, both personal and family, They are fundamental values ​​of the human being.

In this way, the right to privacy, private life or intimacy emerges as a fundamental human right, thanks to which you have the power to exclude or protect certain aspects of life from others. This right includes:

The right to the inviolability of the home. The right to the inviolability of correspondence. The right to the inviolability of private communications. The right to honor. The right to one’s own image. The right not to participate in collective life and to isolate oneself. voluntarily.The right not to be disturbed.

Besides, These rights are related to many others, such as the right not to externalize thought (part of freedom of expression) or the freedom of procreation and sexual preference.

These rights are considered fundamental human rights and They are established by various international instruments.

For example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes in its article 12 that No one should be subject to arbitrary interference in their private life., family, correspondence or home or attacks on their honor or reputation. Also that every person has the right to be protected by law against these attacks or interference.

What are the limits of the right to privacy?

Governments face a dilemma when it comes to protecting the individual’s right to privacy. We encounter difficulties in maintaining the balance between the right to privacy of its citizens and their protection against robberies, kidnappings, terrorist attacks, etc.

Thus, we find that, if the right to private life is interpreted in absolute terms, criminal prosecution would be prevented. The following factors define the right to privacy:

Protection of public order, health and morality. Protection of national health. Protection of the rights and freedoms of other individuals.

Some constitutions expressly mention the right to private life. Others have it implicitly through laws that protect against an illegal invasion of privacy. At this point, we must highlight that private life is more vulnerable to the advances made in espionage techniques.

Privacy and the development of the Internet

There is no doubt that The Internet has brought about a true revolution in all aspects of our lives.. Today, we are all creators of content for the Internet, thanks to online publishing and editing tools. This phenomenon is reflected in blogs, opinion forums or social networks.

This situation has sparked the debate on the right to privacy: What do we understand by privacy? How do we protect these rights online?

We think that the essential services of the Internet are free, but, actually, we are paying with our own data. Many people argue that companies are financed with generic advertising, but this income is insufficient: our profile, tastes and consumer habits are data that are being collected on the Internet for commercial purposes (this is what is called selective advertising), economic, and political. or security.

An example of this transfer of information is the cookies, a file that is sent to your computer to identify your browser. Cookies are used to improve the quality of service by storing user preferences and behavioral trends.

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