The preliminary report’s findings stated that privacy is experienced differently according to gender, and compounded by race, age, socio-economic independence and other factors. Gender-differentiated impacts on privacy were found in all areas of life: health, education, recreation and social life, and professional and civic life. Breaches of privacy based on gender, gender identity and expression were seen as a systemic form of denial of human rights, frequently reflecting and perpetuating unequal social, economic, cultural and political structures and norms.

With this consultation, the Special Rapporteur seeks further feedback from stakeholders, including Member States, human rights institutions, non-governmental organisations, platform providers, researchers and civil society

The report and consultation are part of the work of the SRP’s Taskforce on ​‘Privacy and Personality’. The report’s draft recommendations focus on actions needed at the international, regional and domestic levels by State and non-State actors.

Dr. Anja Kovacs will be speaking on the following sessions:

1) ​‘Privacy and Gender — The Spectrum of Issues’

This session aims to draw out experiences of gender differentiated impact on privacy which may not have been extensively addressed in the initial report including, for example, LGBTQI/ indigenous/​defence/​children and youth perspectives; the effects upon freedom of expression; participation in community and civic life; image based abuse; violence; physical autonomy including reproductive rights; regulatory challenges.

Chair: Deborah Brown, Global Policy Advocacy Lead, APC

Speakers: (alphabetically by first name)

• Amy McCarthy, Pride Network, Sydney University, Australia

• Dr Anja Kovacs, Director, Internet Democracy Project, India

• Antigone Davis, Director Public Policy, Facebook

• Estela Jocon, Jotay, Guatemala

• Joanna Varon, Directress, Coding Rights Brazil

2) The Body: as Data, as Identity, as Money Maker

This session addresses a significant and contested area. Speakers will be addressing amongst other things, where physical autonomy fits within the right to privacy; the monetisation by and of gender through apps, and other digital technologies and the implications for privacy.

Chair: Eva Blum-Dumontet, Research Officer, Privacy International

Speakers: (alphabetically by first name):

• Ambika Tandon, Policy Officer, Centre for Internet and Society, India

• Dr Anja Kovacs, Director, Internet Democracy Project, India

• Joana Varon, Coding Rights Brazil

3) ​‘Is there a Global North and Global South for Privacy and Gender?’

Concerns have been raised that the frameworks, values and histories underpinning the right to privacy vary significantly around the world and Sometimes expressed as ​‘one size does not fit all’ the session aims to consider international commonalities and differences arising in the ​‘privacy and gender’ theme of work.

Chair: Professor Dr Gloria Gonzalez Fuster, Faculty of Law and Criminology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels

Speakers: (alphabetically by first name):

• Dr Anja Kovacs, Director, Internet Democracy Project, India

• Mariana Valente, Director, Internet Lab, Brazil

• Dr Rachel Adams, Research Specialist, Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa

In addition, Dr. Anja Kovacs will chair the session on ​‘Everyone is Talking about AI’

This session is to address questions of artificial intelligence, is data gender neutral, and how algorithms treat gender, for example, profiling, social support systems, various uses of biometric systems such as facial recognition.

Speakers: (alphabetically by first name):

• Eva Blum-Dumontet, Research Officer, Privacy International

• Professor Dr Gloria Gonzalez Fuster, Faculty of Law and Criminology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels

• Dr Rachel Adams, Research Specialist, Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa