U.S. Releases Annual Human Rights Report

The U.S. Department of State has released the annual report on human rights practices across the globe. The State Dept. report reviews adherence to "internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements," including the arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy. The 2018 report highlights China's social credit system which "quantifies a person's loyalty to the government by monitoring citizens' online activity and relationships." The report also cites the Indian Supreme Court ruling that privacy is a fundamental right and Turkish authorities' investigation of more than 45,000 social media accounts between 2016 and April 2018. Two EPIC publications – The Privacy Law Sourcebook 2018 and Privacy and Human Rights: An International Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments – provide a comprehensive overview of privacy frameworks around the world and track emerging privacy challenges.