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Every year the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy presents an annual report to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly. See below all reports presented by the mandate since March 2016.

A list of future planned thematic reports was prepared by the UN Special Rapporteur anticipating issues he intends to address over the next years in order to inform all those interested in participating or contributing to his future work.

YearPresentedDocument numberStatement
2024General Assembly, 79th sessionProposal for the updating of General Assembly resolution 45/95 of 14 December 1990, entitled “Guidelines for the regulation of computerized personal data files”

A/79/173

Oral statement
English

2024Human rights Council, 55th sessionLegal safeguards for personal data protection and privacy in the digital age

A/HRC/55/46

Oral statement
Español

2023General Assembly, 78th sessionPrinciples of transparency and explainability in the processing of personal data in artificial intelligence

A/78/310

Oral statement
Español

2023Human rights Council, 52nd sessionImplementation of the principles of purpose limitation, deletion of data and demonstrated or proactive accountability in the processing of personal data collected by public entities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy

A/HRC/52/37

Oral statement
Español

2022General Assembly,
77th session

Privacy and data protection: Increasingly precious asset in digital era

The Special Rapporteur’s report interprets the various international normative documents and analyses 10 principles (legality, consent, transparency; purpose; loyalty; proportionality; minimisation; quality; responsibility and security), to guide states and encourage them to continue to strike a balance between the different conflicting interests in the processing of personal data and the right to privacy in the global and digital era.

A/77/196

Oral statement
Español

2022Human Rights Council,
49th session

Privacy and personal data protection in Ibero-America: A step towards globalization?

The Special Rapporteur suggests that the Ibero-American data protection system could provide a model for a way of working collaboratively towards principles of privacy and personal data protection are respected, leading to the implementation of standards where integration and harmonization can be achieved based on ethical principles that guarantee respect for human diversity.

A/HRC/49/55

Oral statement

2021General Assembly,
76th session

How pandemics can be managed with respect to the right to privacy

The (now former) Special Rapporteur provides a more definitive analysis (building on his GA 2020 report (A/75/147) now that there is greater evidence available to allow a more accurate assessment of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic

A/76/220

Oral statement
English | Español

2021Human Rights Council,
46th session

Artificial intelligence and privacy, and children’s privacy

The Special Rapporteur addresses two separate challenges: firstly, artificial intelligence and privacy, then children’s privacy, particularly privacy’s role in supporting autonomy and positive participation in society.

A/HRC/46/37
2020General Assembly, 75th session

Preliminary evaluation of the privacy dimensions of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

The Special Rapporteur examines data protection and surveillance in relation to COVID-19 and contact tracing, which may be manual or technological, anonymous or not, consensual or non-consensual.

A/75/147

 

2020Human Rights Council,
43rd session

Security and surveillance, health data, and business enterprises use of personal data

This report provides an overview of activities undertaken in 2019, and also provides recommendations for protecting against gender-based privacy infringements.

A/HRC/43/52

Oral statement

2019

General Assembly, 74th session

 

The protection and use of health-related data

There is increasing awareness on the sensitive nature of health-related data. In the digital era, the industry of collecting and using health-related data and the growing number of data breaches are of enormous concern. The report ends with a draft recommendation.

A/74/277

Recommendation on the protection and use of health-related data (extensive unedited document)

Explanatory memorandum

Report page

2019Human Rights Council,
40th session

Privacy, technology and other human rights from a gender perspective

This report focuses on issues in intelligence oversight; and provides the first report of the ‘Privacy and Gender’ work of the ‘Privacy and Personality’ Taskforce, and that of the Health Data Taskforce. Annexures provide the preliminary reports of these two UNSRP Taskforces.

A/HRC/40/63

Oral statement

2018General Assembly, 73rd session

Big Data and Open Data

This report is divided into two parts: an executive summary of activities undertaken during 2017-18 is the first, introductory part of the report. The second and main part is the final report on the work of the Big Data Open Data Taskforce established by the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy.

A/73/438

Oral statement

2018Human Rights Council,
37th session

Security and Surveillance

This report focuses on the work undertaken in the first three years of his mandate. It outlines the successful work undertaken on one of the mandate’s key priorities: privacy protection, and government and other forms of surveillance.

A/HRC/37/62
Appendix 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Oral statement

2017General Assembly, 72nd session

Big Data and Open Data interim report

This report is divided into two parts: an executive summary of activities undertaken during 2016-17 is the first, introductory part of the report. The second and main part is the interim report on the work of the Big Data Open Data Taskforce established by the Special Rapporteur on Privacy.

A/72/540
and supporting documents
2017Human Rights Council,
34th session

Governmental surveillance activities from a national and international perspective

The Special Rapporteur elaborates on the characteristics of the international legal framework and the interpretation thereof. He also describes recent developments and trends, how these can be studied and how they interact with the enjoyment of the right to privacy and other interconnected human rights. Consequently, he outlines first approaches to a more privacy-friendly oversight of government surveillance

A/HRC/34/60
2016General Assembly, 71st session

Early mandate report: activities so far, TASk force, events and developments

This report is the first submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy to the General Assembly. It was written just over one year after the Special Rapporteur assumed the post on 1 August 2015. The Special Rapporteur has identified a number of themes which his consultations with multiple stakeholders revealed as being critical areas of work for the protection of privacy in the digital age

A/71/368

Oral statement

2016Human Rights Council,
31st session

First mandate report

The Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy describes his vision for his mandate, together with his working methods and a three-year workplan. The report also contains an overview of the state of privacy at the beginning of 2016

A/HRC/31/64

Oral statement

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