Digital Privacy as a Human Rights in the era of Mass Surveillance

Abstract

This article examines digital privacy as a fundamental human right within the context of expanding mass surveillance infrastructures driven by state and corporate actors. The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and biometric technologies has intensified concerns about the erosion of individual autonomy, dignity, and informational self-determination. Drawing on a doctrinal and interdisciplinary analytical approach, the study interrogates the adequacy of existing international human rights frameworks in safeguarding privacy in digital environments. It argues that current legal regimes remain fragmented and insufficient to address the scale and complexity of contemporary surveillance practices, thereby necessitating a comprehensive rights-based governance model. By synthesizing insights from human rights scholarship and parallel debates in emerging global challenges, the article highlights the risks of normalization of surveillance, algorithmic discrimination, and power asymmetries in data governance. It concludes by proposing the integration of robust legal protections, ethical design principles, and institutional accountability mechanisms to reinforce digital privacy as an enforceable and universally recognized right.