Geneva, 14 March 2023

Thank you, Mister President.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic States.

We thank the Special Rapporteur for presenting her latest report to this Council.

It is the obligation of all States to ensure that the need to collect and analyse data in response to the Covid-19 pandemic or any potential future health crises is not used as a pretext for mass surveillance and the violation of an individual’s right to privacy.

We concur with the Special Rapporteur that States must build and consolidate public confidence in the programmes of public entities that involve the processing of personal data. To achieve this, we need to promote the responsible and transparent collection and use of personal data and show compliance with the legal obligations established in personal data processing regulations.

The right to privacy and its abuses have become important themes in the relationship between tech companies and their users. According to your mandate, you should promote and protect the right to privacy by, inter alia, articulating private sector responsibilities to respect human rights.

Madam Special Rapporteur, can you share some of the best practices in establishing a risk monitoring and management system to ensure that data are processed fairly and lawfully?

Thank you.