CYBER SURVEILLANCE, DATA AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

DEBATES ARISING FROM THE BIG BROTHER WATCH ET AL. VS. UK CASE

Abstract

The cybernetization of life has allowed ordinary daily acts to be mapped, collected, analyzed and stored in a digital environment. In view of this, personal data have become true assets in today's network society, which, if not properly handled by the State, can lead to the violation of human rights. Hence, this investigation seeks to expose this new cyberreality and the importance of data, debating, then, the collection/processing/incorrect use of personal data by the State, questioning the existence of requirements to be followed by the domestic authorities when doing so. Therefore, from a deductive method of approach, a case study is carried out, exploring the recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the case The Big Brother Watch et al. vs. Kingdom. Furthermore, it is emphasized that the objectives will be analyzed from the descriptive, explanatory and analytical methods, being also developed from the bibliographic and documentary research techniques, qualitatively selected from the keywords of this text.