PI’s submission in advance of the consideration of the United Kingdom at the 77th session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Privacy International has suggested the Committee consider the following recommendations for the UK government:

• Address longstanding concerns regarding the use of surveillance mechanisms by the Department for Work and Pensions, including covert practices, by ensuring transparency, accountability, and the protection of individuals’ rights within its fraud prevention initiatives.
• Recognise and address the risks that the use of AI technologies poses to access to social benefits, including the dangers that the use of such technology lead to exclusionary and discriminatory impacts.
• Cease the imposition of GPS tagging on migrants and adopt measures that are respectful of human rights, instead of surveillance-based technologies.
• Ensure that the digitalisation of healthcare services does not come at cost to human rights to health and the right to privacy, including by protecting people’s sensitive health data and by ensuring that the use digital innovation and technologies in healthcare do not lead to discriminatory outcomes and impacts.
• Carry out regular human rights due diligence and impact assessments to ensure that the involvement of the private sector in the UK’s provision of healthcare is compliant with the UK’s obligations under the Covenant.
• Prohibit the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) in educational settings due to its disproportionate impact, security risks, inaccuracies, and discriminatory biases that pose threats to the right to education.
• Regulate the use of education technologies and implement regulations governing the use of EdTech in educational settings (including private institutions), ensuring alignment with robust data protection standards and to guarantee educational institutions create an environment fulfils the right to education.