Partners for democratic change Serbia followed media coverage during the corona virus pandemic. The results of that research were presented in the report "Media and the right to privacy during the corona virus epidemic".

The report deals with personal data treatment of citizens in media coverage of the corona virus, starting from the fact that health data are very sensitive personal data and declaring epidemics and the introduction of a state of emergency did not suspended domestic legislation, and regulations of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media and Ethical Code of Journalists of Serbia.

Various issues related to privacy rights and personal data protection were raised around the world during the corona virus pandemic. The most sensitive is certainly the one concerning the mass surveillance of citizens in the name of health protection, because it sharply opposes the right to privacy, on the one hand, and the health and well-being of society, on the other hand. Perhaps not the most controversial, but still significant issue is the question of the role of media. As mediators between experts and decision-makers, on the one hand, and citizens, on the other, media plays an important role in informing and educating the public.

The general assessment of important role of the media as a mediator between decision-making and citizens gained importance during the corona virus pandemic because of an unknown virus and completely new rules of conduct, which required intensive public information.

The reports present some of the ethical and legal problematic cases of reporting during the pandemic, such as:

Reporting on the health condition and death of medical workers in a way that it does not contribute to public debate, but endangers the dignity of the person;

Reporting from health institution without necessary anonymization of patient data;

Downloading official data that is not anonymized;

Reporting blaming individuals for spreading the infection;

Reporting on the health status of public figures, ignoring that the right of public figures to privacy still exists;

Reporting which simultaneously violates the right to the presumption of innocence and the right to privacy;

Media texts were created by downloading posts from social networks.

You can view the full report HERE.

The news was taken from the Partners Serbia website.

The report was prepared within the project Protect Privacy - Resist the Pressure (Reclaiming Privacy: A Tool to Fight Oppression), which Partners Serbia is launching in cooperation with the Belgrade Open School, SHARE Foundation, Da se zna!, NGO ATHENS and A11 Initiative, with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia.