Privacy Index 2007 - Countries Ranked Highest to Lowest (best to worst)

                   See notes below the table for explanation.

												Govt.		Surveyln	Border+

			Total	Constitu.	Statutory	Privacy	ID Card+	Data	Visual	Commun.	Commun.	Access	Workpl.	Medical	Trnsbord		Democr.

Rank	Country/Region	Score	Protectn.	Protectn.	Enforcmt	Biomtrics	Sharing	Surveyln	Intercept.	Data Ret.	to Data	Monitr.	& FInancl.	Issues	Leadrshp	Safegrds	

-------     ----------------------------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	----------	-------------

   1	Greece		3.1	4	3	4	3	-	3	1	-	3	-	3	-	4	3

   2	Canada		2.9	4	4	2	2	2	2	3	4	3	3	2	2	3	4

   -	Romania		2.9	3	3	4	-	-	-	2	3	2	-	-	-	2	4

   -	Hungary		2.9	4	4	4	4	3	1	1	4	3	2	2	3	1	4

   3	Argentina		2.8	4	4	2	-	2	-	2	2	-	-	2	-	4	3

   -	Slovenia		2.8	4	4	4	2	3	4	2	1	2	4	2	-	2	3

   -	Portugal		2.8	4	4	3	2	2	2	2	-	-	3	3	-	2	4

   -	Luxembourg	2.8	2	3	3	3	2	-	2	3	-	4	4	-	1	4

   -	Germany		2.8	4	4	4	2	4	2	2	1	3	2	4	2	1	4

    -	Italy		2.8	4	4	4	2	-	3	1	1	2	4	2	3	3	3

   -	Estonia		2.8	3	3	4	2	-	-	2	-	3	-	3	-	2	3

  4	Belgium		2.7	4	4	4	1	1	-	2	2	3	4	3	2	1	4

   -	Iceland		2.7	4	4	4	2	3	2	3	2	2	3	2	1	2	4

  5	Czech Republic	2.5	4	3	4	2	1	2	1	2	2	3	2	2	3	4

  -	Finland		2.5	3	3	3	2	1	-	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	4

  - 	Ireland		2.5	2	3	4	2	2	-	3	1	2	3	3	2	1	4

  6	Malta		2.4	2	4	3	-	-	-	2	-	2	-	-	-	2	2

  -	Switzerland	2.4	4	4	2	2	2	1	2	2	2	-	2	1	3	4

  7	European Union	2.3	3	2	3	2	2	-	-	1	2	-	3	2	2	3

  -	New Zealand	2.3	2	2	3	3	2	-	1	3	2	2	2	-	2	4

  -	South Africa	2.3	4	1	1	2	2	-	2	1	-	-	4	2	-	4

  -	Poland		2.3	3	4	3	1	3	2	1	1	2	-	2	-	3	3

  -	Spain		2.3	3	4	4	1	-	2	1	2	2	3	1	-	1	4

  -	Austria		2.3	2	3	2	2	1	2	2	4	2	-	3	2	1	4

  -	Cyprus		2.3	3	3	3	2	-	2	1	-	-	-	2	2	2	3

  8	Latvia		2.2	3	2	2	2	2	-	2	-	2	3	2	2	2	3

  -	Japan		2.2	3	1	1	2	2	2	3	4	3	-	3	1	1	3

  -	Australia		2.2	1	2	2	3	2	-	2	4	2	3	1	1	2	3

  -	Israel		2.2	4	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	1	-	1	1	2	3

  9	Brazil		2.1	3	2	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	1	2	3	3

  -	Norway		2.1	3	2	3	2	1	2	2	2	2	3	1	1	2	4

  -	Netherlands	2.1	2	4	4	1	1	2	1	1	2	3	2	2	1	4

  -	Slovakia		2.1	4	3	3	1	-	-	2	1	1	-	2	-	2	2

  -	Sweden		2.1	3	2	3	3	2	3	2	1	1	1	1	2	1	4

 10	Denmark		2.0	3	2	2	4	1	3	2	1	1	-	1	1	2	3

  -	Bulgaria		2.0	3	2	3	1	-	-	1	2	2	-	2	-	2	2

  -	Lithuania		2.0	3	3	2	1	-	1	1	3	-	1	-	-	2	3

 11	France		1.9	3	2	3	2	1	2	2	1	1	-	2	1	1	4

  -	India		1.9	3	1	1	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	2	-	2	4

 12	Philippines		1.8	3	2	1	1	-	-	1	2	1	-	2	-	2	3

 13	United States	1.5	3	1	1	1	2	1	1	3	2	1	1	1	1	2

  -	Thailand		1.5	2	2	2	1	-	2	1	2	1	-	1	-	2	1

 14	Taiwan		1.5	2	2	1	1	-	-	1	3	2	-	1	1	1	2

  -	Singapore		1.4	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	3	1	1	3	2	1	1

  -	United Kingdom	1.4	1	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	1	1	1	3

 15	Russia		1.3	3	2	1	2	1	-	1	1	1	-	1	1	1	1

  -	China		1.3	2	2	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	-	2	-	1	1

  -	Malaysia		1.3	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	3	1	-	1	1	2	1



     ============================================ COUNTRIES NOT RANKED ==========================================

Privacy is a fundamental human right. It underpins human dignity and other values such as freedom of association and freedom of speech. It has become one of the most important human rights of the modern age. In this section we review the variety of definitions of privacy.

Privacy is recognized around the world in diverse regions and cultures. It is protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and in many other international and regional human rights treaties. Nearly every country in the world includes a right of privacy in its constitution. At a minimum, these provisions include rights of inviolability of the home and secrecy of communications. Most recently written constitutions include specific rights to access and control one's personal information. In many of the countries where privacy is not explicitly recognized in the constitution, the courts have found that right in other provisions. In many countries, international agreements that recognize privacy rights such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or the European Convention on Human Rights have been adopted into law.

Definitions of privacy vary widely according to context and environment. In many countries, the concept has been fused with data protection, which interprets privacy in terms of management of personal information.

Outside this rather strict context, privacy protection is frequently seen as a way of drawing the line at how far society can intrude into a person's affairs. The lack of a single definition should not imply that the issue lacks importance. As one writer observed, "in one sense, all human rights are aspects of the right to privacy."

The index in this table rates countries in the following categories, then countries are rated on the basis of the total score: Constitutional Protection, Statutory Protection, Privacy Enforcement, Identity Cards and Biometrics, Data-sharing, Visual Surveillance, Communication Interception, Communication Data Retention, Worklace Monitoring, Surveillance of Medical, Financial and Movement, Border and Transborder Issues, Leadership, and Democratic Safeguards. Bank 2007.

NOTE: The table on this page is re-published from data provided by Privacy International. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of privacy and surveillance information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about national human development index should be addressed to Privacy International.