With the growing use of technical gadgets, modern-day work style and environment has been largely changed with efficiency, better performance and fast communications. Despite this, there are several cases of the misuse of the gadgets.
Here in Nepal, the news is rife that the right to privacy is being violated by a responsible body of state, the police administration, with the misuse of the call details record (CDR) and SMS records.
Right to privacy is also a part of the freedom1 of expression which keeps freedom1 of expression and right to information in balance.
But, in the name of an investigation into the murder of a justice of the Supreme Court, Nepali Police have collected thousands of such CDR and SMS records which are not essentially linked to the crime.
With the gathering of the CDR and SMS records, the chances of breaching one’s right to privacy is very high. The right to privacy is the inherent and most inviolable right of a person which needs to be respected and protected as per the law.
Therefore, freedom1 Forum strongly urges the police administration to create certain criteria/code of conduct to use the CDR for the probe purpose thereby respecting citizens’ right to privacy which is equally important to the right to freedom1 of expression.
Where there is the right to freedom1 of expression respected, there is the right to privacy respected.