United Nations A/RES/68/167

Distr.: General
General Assembly 21 January 2014

Sixty-eighth session
Agenda item 69 (b)

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2013

[on the report of the Third Committee (A/68/456/Add.2)]

68/167. The right to privacy in the digital age

The General Assembly,

Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Reaffirming also the human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1 and relevant international human rights
treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 2 and the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,2
Reaffirming further the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 3
Noting that the rapid pace of technological development enables individuals all
over the world to use new information and communication technologies and at the
same time enhances the capacity of governments, companies and individuals to
undertake surveillance, interception and data collection, which may violate or abuse
human rights, in particular the right to privacy, as set out in article 12 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 17 of the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, and is therefore an issue of increasing concern,
Reaffirming the human right to privacy, according to which no one shall be
subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home
or correspondence, and the right to the protection of the law against such
interference, and recognizing that the exercise of the right to privacy is important
for the realization of the right to freedom of expression and to hold opinions without
interference, and is one of the foundations of a democratic society,
Stressing the importance of the full respect for the freedom to seek, receive
and impart information, including the fundamental importance of access to
information and democratic participation,

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1
Resolution 217 A (III).
2
See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
3
A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.
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A/RES/68/167 The right to privacy in the digital age

Welcoming the report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and

protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, 4 submitted to the
Human Rights Council at its twenty-third session, on the implications of State
surveillance of communications on the exercise of the human rights to privacy and
to freedom of opinion and expression,
Emphasizing that unlawful or arbitrary surveillance and/or interception of
communications, as well as unlawful or arbitrary collection of personal data, as
highly intrusive acts, violate the rights to privacy and to freedom of expression and
may contradict the tenets of a democratic society,
Noting that while concerns about public security may justify the gathering and
protection of certain sensitive information, States must ensure full compliance with
their obligations under international human rights law,
Deeply concerned at the negative impact that surveillance and/or interception
of communications, including extraterritorial surveillance and/or interception of
communications, as well as the collection of personal data, in particular when
carried out on a mass scale, may have on the exercise and enjoyment of human
rights,
Reaffirming that States must ensure that any measures taken to combat
terrorism are in compliance with their obligations under international law, in
particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law,
1. Reaffirms the right to privacy, according to which no one shall be
subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home
or correspondence, and the right to the protection of the law against such
interference, as set out in article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1
and article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;2
2. Recognizes the global and open nature of the Internet and the rapid
advancement in information and communications technologies as a driving force in
accelerating progress towards development in its various forms;
3. Affirms that the same rights that people have offline must also be
protected online, including the right to privacy;
4. Calls upon all States:
(a) To respect and protect the right to privacy, including in the context of
digital communication;
(b) To take measures to put an end to violations of those rights and to create
the conditions to prevent such violations, including by ensuring that relevant
national legislation complies with their obligations under international human rights
law;
(c) To review their procedures, practices and legislation regarding the
surveillance of communications, their interception and the collection of personal
data, including mass surveillance, interception and collection, with a view to
upholding the right to privacy by ensuring the full and effective implementation of
all their obligations under international human rights law;

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4
A/HRC/23/40 and Corr.1.

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(d) To establish or maintain existing independent, effective domestic

oversight mechanisms capable of ensuring transparency, as appropriate, and
accountability for State surveillance of communications, their interception and the
collection of personal data;
5. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to
submit a report on the protection and promotion of the right to privacy in the
context of domestic and extraterritorial surveillance and/or the interception of
digital communications and the collection of personal data, including on a mass
scale, to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-seventh session and to the General
Assembly at its sixty-ninth session, with views and recommendations, to be
considered by Member States;
6. Decides to examine the question at its sixty-ninth session, under the
sub-item entitled “Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for
improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms” of
the item entitled “Promotion and protection of human rights”.

70th plenary meeting

18 December 2013

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