The Center for Democracy and Technology's Chief Technology Officer, Mallory Knodel, recently presented an important statement on behalf of the Global Encryption Coalition Steering Committee (GEC-SC) and other civil society organizations at the United Nations regarding the Secretary General’s Global Digital Compact (GDC).
In the statement, Knodel expressed, "We welcome the sturdy human rights framework upon which you have built the GDC. Strong, ubiquitous encryption protects human rights, especially the right to privacy, as well as free expression, free association, and access to information."
Furthermore, addressing specific provisions, Knodel highlighted, "Under Cluster 3 on digital trust and safety in which Section 28 commits Member States by 2030 to clause (d), we suggest the following three editorial changes to better articulate the ways that encryption provides protection and enablement of human rights."
The Center for Democracy and Technology's involvement in this discussion underscores the importance of encryption in safeguarding fundamental rights in the digital age.