Available Now: New Working Paper on the Right to Information and Privacy
The relationship between privacy and Right to Information laws is currently the subject of considerable debate around the globe as countries are increasingly adopting these types of legislation. To date, more than 50 countries have adopted both laws.
On first inspection, it would appear that the right of access to information and the right to protection of personal privacy are irreconcilable. However the reality is more complex. For the most part, these two rights complement each other in holding governments accountable to individuals. But there is a potential conflict between these rights when there is a demand for access to personal information held by government bodies.
Targeted for practitioners working in governance and transparency issues and as part of its Governance Working Paper series, the World Bank Institute has recently published a sixth working paper on ATI addressing some of these issues.
“The Right to Information and Privacy: Balancing rights and managing conflicts” (PDF 767 KB) by David Banisar, Senior Legal Counsel for Article XIX.
Focusing on the cases of Ireland, Mexico, Slovenia and the UK, while also looking at other experiences, this paper examines legislative and structural means to better define and balance the rights to privacy and to information.
For more information please contact Marcos Mendiburu or Luis Esquivel.
Related Links
Available Now: New Working Paper on Access to Information and Management Accountability Processes
Read other Working Papers
Proactive Transparency:The future of the right to information?
Budgeting Implications for ATI Legislation: The Mexican Case
Access to Information and Transparency in the Judiciary
Enforcement Models:Content and Context
Access to Public Information and Citizen Participation in Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI)
Exploring the Role of Civil Society in the Formulation and Adoption of Access to Information Laws
Share