CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION _________________
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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 gove...
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