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Protecting Privacy Issues under Limited Rule of Law: Government Requests for User Data and the Role of Corporations
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2018-10-05
Author(s)
Coni-Zimmer, Melanie
Abstract (De)
Government requests for user data threaten to infringe the right to privacy. This paper analyses the role of companies in responding to such requests in the context of societal conflict from a business and human rights perspective. ICT companies are confronted with a dilemma situation when faced with growing expectations to respect human rights throughout their operations and at the same time aiming to rely on a cooperative relationship with host governments. The paper examines corporate reactions by exploring two case studies, (1) Google in Hong Kong during the Umbrella Movement in 2014 and (2) a set of telecommunications companies in Guinea in 2016. During the protests in Hong Kong, the authorities were accused of carrying out surveillance of activists by tracking online behaviour, facilitated by data disclosed by corporations. In Guinea, telecommunication companies choose to collectively reject a major request for user data, but in the end complied with it. The paper discusses some factors that influence corporate decision making, such as membership in global standard initiatives and industry characteristics.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Publisher
Amsterdam Privacy Conference
Publisher place
Amsterdam
Pages
30
Event Title
Amsterdam Privacy Conference
Event Location
University of Amsterdam
Event Date
5-8 October 2018
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Contact Email Address
isabel.ebert@unisg.ch
Eprints ID
255350