Joint submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom
of expression
February 10, 2015
In response to the call for submissions of the United Nations
Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression regarding
the use of encryption and anonymity in digital communications, the
Citizen Lab and independent researcher Collin Anderson have
submitted a joint analysis, entitled “The need for democratization
of digital security solutions to ensure the right to freedom of
expression.” The submission explores the essential role of digital
security tools, particularly encryption and anonymity software, in
protecting the rights to freedom of expression and privacy of
civil society actors, many of which are subject to
politically-motivated digital surveillance and censorship.
As an Appendix to our analysis, we include a chart on the
relationship between civil society requirements for effective and
secure digital communications, and the use of encryption or
anonymity tools. This table is not exhaustive and should
be considered a first attempt at elaborating on the types of
information security risks posed to freedom of expression and
privacy. Properly implemented and non-backdoored encryption can
reduce exposure to certain forms of mass surveillance and provide
users the opportunity to remain in control of their information
despite efforts to compromise it, including interception and
hacking. However, this analysis also demonstrates that encryption
is not a panacea for the diversity of physical and digital threats
that at-risk individuals face on a daily basis.
We look forward to further developing this resource and encourage
members of the technical community, civil society, journalists,
and others to critique the form and content of the Appendix.