A RESOLUTION affirming the human right to privacy and expressing a desire that the policies and products of the City's privacy initiative be consistent with the right to privacy as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the applicable international human rights framework.

A RESOLUTION affirming the human right to privacy and expressing a desire that the policies and products of the City’s privacy initiative be consistent with the right to privacy as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the applicable international human rights framework.

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WHEREAS, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1948 and endorsed by the United States, states that “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks”; and

WHEREAS, Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1966 and ratified by the United States in 1992, contains similar language relating to arbitrary and unlawful interference with privacy; and

WHEREAS, in December 2012, the Seattle City Council adopted Resolution 31420 proclaiming Seattle to be a Human Rights City, endorsing the human rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, committing to their progressive realization in The City of Seattle (City), and recognizing the importance of using the international human rights framework for cities to work on their commitment to protecting, respecting, and fulfilling the full range of universal human rights; and

WHEREAS, UN General Assembly Resolution 68/167, adopted in 2013, reaffirms the “human right to privacy” and recognizes that “the exercise of the right to privacy is important for the realization of the right to freedom of expression and to hold opinions without interference, and is one of the foundations of a democratic society”; and

WHEREAS, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in its 2014 follow-up report to the UN General Assembly recommended that governments: review their own laws, policies and practices; adopt “a clear, precise, accessible, comprehensive and non-discriminatory legislative framework”; and “ensure that effective and independent oversight regimes and practices are in place, with attention to the right of victims to an effective remedy”; and

WHEREAS, the City has a demonstrated history of promoting human rights, as exemplified by the creation of the Seattle Human Rights Commission in 1963 and the launching of the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative in 2004; and

WHEREAS, in utilizing rapidly evolving technology to enhance the quality of public services, cities, other governmental entities, and private enterprises hired by the government must carefully consider risks to the privacy of the public, and must be deliberate in avoiding extraneous data collection; and

WHEREAS, in response to privacy concerns, the City launched a privacy initiative in fall 2014 to strengthen the City’s privacy practices, establish protocols to educate City departments, and assess compliance with privacy principles; and

WHEREAS, the privacy initiative, sponsored by the Department of Information Technology and the Seattle Police Department, convened an internal group of stakeholders from across City departments and an external group of privacy experts to review the City’s privacy practices and develop a City-wide privacy policy; and

WHEREAS, the Seattle City Council adopted Resolution 31570 in February 2015, adopting the City of Seattle Privacy Principles to guide the actions of the City when collecting personal information from the public to provide services, and committing the City to standards of accountability and transparency; and

WHEREAS, ensuring the protection, respect, and fulfillment of the human right to privacy is integral for the City to operate in an open and trustworthy manner; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:

Section 1. In accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the City Council affirms the human right to privacy, according to which no one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home or correspondence.

Section 2. The City Council expresses its desire that any policies or products of the City’s privacy initiative be consistent with the right to privacy as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the applicable international human rights framework.

Adopted by the City Council the ____ day of ____________________, 2015, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this________ day