Freedom Of Thought Endangered In The 21st Century? Legal Protection From Manipulation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24234/wisdom.v14i1.310Keywords:
Freedom of thought, manipulation, ethics, human rights, national and international regulations.Abstract
Abstract
The freedom of thought is stipulated as a fundamental human right in main international human rights instruments at universal and regional levels. Freedom of thought is also guaranteed at national level in constitutions of many states. It might seem that the legal regulation of freedom of thought is more declarative by its very nature: prima facie, it cannot be limited or violated in practice. Thus, one might assume that it does not need any legal protection. In this paper we argue that the rapid scientific and technological evolution urge the necessity of rethinking the legal content of the freedom of thought and elaborating mechanisms at national and international levels for its effective protection. In particular we discuss the lawfulness of manipulation as means of influencing the freedom of thought in the age of high technologies and argue that the large-scale intensive manipulation by using special big data processing tools (including artificial intelligence) with the aim to shape the information receivers’ decision-making process in order to reach a certain outcome motivated by self-interest should be viewed as unlawful interference into the freedom of thought under International Human Rights Law, consequently creating positive obligations for states.
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References
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27. Orwell, G. (1949/1984 edn.). E-version (p. 67), available at: https://www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/1984.pdf.
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30. Sarkissian, A.V. (2019). Interview with the President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian. The Indian WION TV (World is One News), available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrUVUmdUYFU&.
31. Serrato, K.J., Cwalina, Ch., Rudawski, A., Coughlin, T., & Fardelmann, K. (2018). US states pass data protection laws on the heels of the GDPR. Compliance and risk management, available at: https://www.dataprotectionreport.com/2018/07/u-s-states-pass-data-protection-laws-on-the-heels-of-the-gdpr/.
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38. UN Human Rights Committee (1993). CCPR General Comment No. 22: Article 18 (Freedom of Thought, Conscience or Religion), (para.1), available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/453883fb22.html.
39. US Supreme Court (2003). Lawrence vs Texas, 539 US 558 (para.1).
40. US Supreme Court, Black B. concurring opinion (1952). Wieman vs Updegraff, 344 U.S. 183 (p.194).
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2. Birnhack M., Toch E., & Hadar, I. (2014). Privacy Mindset, Technological Mindset. Jurimetrics Vol. 55, No. 1 published by: American Bar Association, (pp. 55-114).
Bublitz, J.C. (2014). Freedom of Thought in the Age of Neuroscience: a Plea and a Proposal for the Renaissance of a Forgotten Fundamental Right. Archives for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy, Vol. 100, No. 1, (pp. 1-3).
3. CoE (1950). Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), Rome, 4.XI (art. 9, & 15 clause 1), available at: https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf.
4. CoE (2019). Guide on Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights: Freedom of thought, conscience and religion Council of Europe/ ECtHR, available at: https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Guide_Art_9_ENG.pdf.
5. CoE Committee of experts on human rights dimensions of automated data processing and different forms of AI (2018). Draft Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on human rights impacts of algorithmic systems, MSI-AUT(2018)06, available at: https://rm.coe.int/draft-recommendation-on-human-rights-impacts-of-algorithmic-systems/16808ef256.
6. CoE Committee of experts on Media Pluralism and Transparency of Media Ownership (2017). Study on the use of internet in electoral campaigns prepared by the committee of experts on media pluralism and transparency of media ownership, DGI 111, 26 p., (pp. 14-15), available at: https://rm.coe.int/study-use-of-internet-in-electoral-campaigns/1680776163.
7. CoE Committee of Ministers (2019). Declaration on the manipulative capabilities of algorithmic processes, Decl.(13/02/2019)1 (para.9).
8. Confessore, N. (2018). Cambridge Analytica and Facebook: The Scandal and the Fallout So Far. The New York Times, available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-scandal-fallout.html.
9. Constitution of Belarus, 1994 (rev.2004); Constitution of Cameroon, 1972 (rev.2008); Constitution of Chile, 1980 (rev.2015); Constitution of Cuba, 2019 (art. 54); Constitution of Estonia 1992 (rev.2015); Constitution of Germany, 1949 (rev.2014); Constitution of Greece, 1975 (rev.2008); Constitution of Latvia 1922 (reinst. 1991, rev.2016); Constitution of Malawi 1994 (rev.2017); Constitution of Morocco, 2011; Constitution of Namibia 1990 (rev.2014); Constitution of Niger, 2010 (rev.2017); Constitution of Peru, 1993 (rev.2009); Constitution of Poland, 1997 (rev.2009); Constitution of Portugal, 1976 (rev.2005); Constitution of Republic of Armenia, 1995 (rev.2005, art. 26; rev. 2015, art.41); Constitution of Rwanda 2003 (rev.2015); Constitution of Slovakia 1992 (rev.2017); Constitution of South Africa, 1996 (rev.2012); Constitution of the Russian Federation, 1993 (rev.2014); Constitution of the USA, 1789 (rev.1992); Constitution of United Republic of Tanzania, 1977 (rev.2005); Constitutions of Bulgaria, 1991 (rev.2015), available at: https://www.constituteproject.org/search?lang=en.
10. ECtHR (1978). Tyrer vs United Kingdom, App.5856/72, (para. 31).
11. ECtHR (1993). Kokkinakis v Greece, App. 14307/88, para.31.
12. European Union (2018). General Data Protection Regulation, 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC, available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj.
Fienberg, S.E. (2006). Privacy and confidentiality in an e-commerce world: data mining warehousing, matching and disclosure limitation. Statistical Science, Vol. 21, No. 2, A Special Issue on Statistical Challenges and Opportunities in Electronic Commerce Research, (pp.143-154).
13. Foroohar, R. (2019). How to Take Back Control from the Big Tech Barons. Financial Times, available at: https://www.ft.com/content/1274db2e-1276-11ea-a7e6-62bf4f9e548a.
14. Funke, D., Flamini, D. (2019). A guide to anti-misinformation actions around the world, available at: https://www.poynter.org/ifcn/anti-misinformation-actions/.
15. Gilbert, B. (2019). Facebook reportedly spent more than $500 million to buy a mind-reading technology startup — and people are calling the move “gross” and “scary”. Business Insider, available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-mind-reading-tech-ctrl-labs-acquisition-backlash-2019-9.
16. Harutyunyan, G.G., & Vagharshyan, A.G. edn. (2010). Commentaries to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, 1086 p. (pp. 297-298) – Yerevan: “Law”. ????????? ?????????????? ??????????????? ??????????????????/ ????????? ???. ?. ??????????????, ?. ??????????. – ??.: «????????» (2010) 1086, ???? 297-298.
17. Hawley, J. (2019). A Bill to protect the privacy of internet users through the establishment of a national Do Not Track system, and for other purposes (S. 1578), available at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1578/text.
18. Hawley, J. (2019). Draft Bill “Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology Act” (SMART), LYN19429, (para.1), available at: https://www.hawley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2019-07/Social-Media-Addiction-Reduction-Technology-Act.pdf/.
19. Hochwald, Th. (2013). How do social media affect intra-state conflicts other than war? Journal Connections, Vol.12, No.3, publ. by Partnership for Peace Consortium of defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes, pp. 9-38 (pp. 21-27).
20. Kuchler, H. (2019). How Facebook grew too big to handle. Financial Times.
21. Kulhari, S. (2018). Building-Blocks of a Data Protection Revolution: The Uneasy Case for Blockchain Technology to Secure Privacy and Identity. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 62p. (pp. 26-27).
22. Lemetti, J. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Hobbes’s Philosophy, the Scarecrow Press Inc. 405p., (p.174).
23. McCarthy-Jones, S. (2019). Freedom of thought is under attack – here’s how to save your mind. The Conversation, available at: https://theconversation.com/freedom-of-thought-is-under-attack-heres-how-to-save-your-mind-124379.
24. McGregor, V.K., Calderón S.H., & Tonelli R.D. (2013). Big Data and Consumer Financial Information. Business Law Today (pp. 1-4).
25. Organization of African Unity (1981). African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights ("Banjul Charter"), CAB/LEG/67/3, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3630.html.
26. Organization of American States (1969). American Convention on Human Rights, "Pact of San Jose", Costa Rica, (art. 13, & 27), available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b36510.html.
27. Orwell, G. (1949/1984 edn.). E-version (p. 67), available at: https://www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/1984.pdf.
28. Palma, S. (2019). Singapore government orders Facebook to correct social media post. Financial Times.
29. Pavolotsky, J. (2013). Privacy in the Age of Big Data. The Business Lawyer, Vol. 69, No. 1, (pp.217-225).
30. Sarkissian, A.V. (2019). Interview with the President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian. The Indian WION TV (World is One News), available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrUVUmdUYFU&.
31. Serrato, K.J., Cwalina, Ch., Rudawski, A., Coughlin, T., & Fardelmann, K. (2018). US states pass data protection laws on the heels of the GDPR. Compliance and risk management, available at: https://www.dataprotectionreport.com/2018/07/u-s-states-pass-data-protection-laws-on-the-heels-of-the-gdpr/.
32. Shaw, M.N. (2014). International Law. Seventh edition. Cambridge University Press, 1709 p.
33. Sprenger, P. (1999). Sun on Privacy: ‘Get Over It’, Wired News, available at: https://www.wired.com/1999/01/sun-on-privacy-get-over-it/.
34. State of California Assembly (2013). An act to amend Section 22575 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to consumers, available at: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB370.
35. The Harvard Law Review Association (2014). Data Mining, Dog Sniffs, and the Fourth Amendment. Harvard Law Review Vol. 128, No. 2, 691-712p. (pp. 697-98).
36. UN General Assembly (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (art. 18, & 29) available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3712c.html.
37. UN General Assembly, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, (1966), Treaty Series, vol.999, p.171, (art. 4 clause 2, & 18). Available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3aa0.html.
38. UN Human Rights Committee (1993). CCPR General Comment No. 22: Article 18 (Freedom of Thought, Conscience or Religion), (para.1), available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/453883fb22.html.
39. US Supreme Court (2003). Lawrence vs Texas, 539 US 558 (para.1).
40. US Supreme Court, Black B. concurring opinion (1952). Wieman vs Updegraff, 344 U.S. 183 (p.194).
41. White, R.C.A., Ovey C., & Jacobs, F. G. (2010). Jacobs, White and Ovey: The European Convention on Human Rights (pp.402-424; pp. 99-102, p.73). Oxford University Press (fifth edn.).
42. Wilde O. (1890/ 2011edn.). The Picture of Dorian Gray. E-version (p.28), available at: http://www.planetpublish.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray_NT.pdf.
43. Wong T. (2019). Singapore fake news law polices chats and online platforms. BBC news, available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48196985.
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Published
2020-04-06
How to Cite
YEREMYAN, L., & HARUTYUNYAN, D. (2020). Freedom Of Thought Endangered In The 21st Century? Legal Protection From Manipulation. WISDOM, 14(1), 131–147. https://doi.org/10.24234/wisdom.v14i1.310
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