A/HRC/52/37
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
27 December 2022
English
Original: Spanish
Human Rights Council
Fifty-second session
27 February 2023–31 March 2023
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights,
civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Implementation of the principles of purpose limitation,
deletion of data and demonstrated or proactive
accountability in the processing of personal data collected by
public entities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, Ana Brian
Nougrères
Summary
The present report has been prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution
46/16.
In the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, data were collected
from millions of people in all countries of the world for one sole purpose: to combat the
pandemic. Although the principles of purpose and time limitation (which require personal
data to be deleted from databases once the purpose has been achieved) are incorporated in
national and international regulations on personal data processing, the following questions
have nonetheless arisen: What will happen to the personal data collected from these millions
of people for the purpose of combating the COVID-19 pandemic? Will they be deleted? Will
they be anonymized? Will they be used for purposes other than those for which they were
collected?
The Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, Ana Brian Nougrères, envisages that
the review forming the basis of this report might serve as a call on States to ensure timely
application of the principles of purpose limitation, deletion of data and demonstrated
accountability (also referred to as proactive accountability) in respect of the personal data
that were collected from millions of persons in the context of the pandemic.
GE.22-28437 (E)
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