IGF 2020 Pre-Event #93 Privacy? Is there anything to worry about?

Growing concerns about privacy on the one hand result in an eruption of trust and lead to actions such as falsification of information about oneself, on the other hand, the rejection of adaptation of new technologies and trends aimed at tightening legislation in this area. This is particularly evident when considering the introduction of GDPR-like regulation. Currently, more than 60 jurisdictions have been or are in the process of complying with the privacy requirements guaranteed by law. According to Gartner's latest estimates (2020), by 2023 nearly 65% of the world's population will be covered by GDPR-like privacy regulations. In addition to the European Economic Area and California, as well as China, where the law has already entered into force, these include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Singapore and Thailand. The aim is to regulate the area of public concern, it is also often an attempt to resist the technological dominance of China and the United States. Companies are adapting to a changing social, legal and economic environment. In two years, according to Delloite estimates (2019), more than one million of them will appoint a privacy officer to ensure that the organization's activities are consistent with the stricter regulations. This applies not only to the technology industry, but also to all entities that are implementing, or plan to implement, artificial intelligence or automated decision making processes. While in China the systems of face recognition or granting social points have become a reality, in the system of democracy rooted in Western values there is a debate on regulating this phenomenon, its influence on citizenship and equality in access to goods and services.