Who?
Privacy International’s mission is to defend the right to privacy across the world, and to fight surveillance and other intrusions into private life by governments and corporations. Our vision is a world in which privacy is protected by governments, respected by corporations and cherished by individuals. PI was founded in 1990 and is the oldest international privacy organisation in the world.
What?
Privacy is the right to control who knows what about you, and under what conditions. The right to share different things with your family, your friends and your colleagues. The right to know that your personal emails, medical records and bank details are safe and secure. Privacy is essential to human dignity and autonomy in all societies. The right to privacy is a qualified fundamental human right - meaning that if someone wants to take it away from you, they need to have a damn good reason for doing so.
Why?
The world is changing. Technology is transforming our lives and relationships. The threat of terrorism is giving governments carte blanche to ramp up state surveillance and curtail civil liberties. We believe that technological developments should strengthen, rather than undermine, the right to a private life, and that everyone’s personal information and communications must be carefully safeguarded, regardless of nationality, religion, personal or economic status. That's why we do what we do.