Protection of the Right to Privacy and Personal Data Related to Covid-19 Disease

At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic spread, state authorities may introduce various measures and activities to protect public health. The effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic requires the increased interference of authorities with the privacy of individuals. The author presents the provisions of the most important international legal documents regulating protection of personal data and right on individual on privacy (as a fundamental human right). Enjoying certain human rights without limitations could collide with interests of a society as a whole, or with same or similar rights of others, rights that also need to be protected. This is why existence of limitations (for example: the right of privacy) in international human rights instruments are considered to be reasonable and justified, but they must be based on law (and be in accordance with the Constitution, which was not respected in Slovenia, also with regard to freedom of movement and assembly) and proportionate to the legitimate aim of protection of public health. In the article, the author critically analyses the constitutionality and legality of decisions of state bodies and their impact on fundamental human rights and freedoms in relation to SARS- CoV-2 virus, which causes the disease COVID-19. Slovenia has undertaken several measures that limit the privacy during pandemic. The measure taken by the Slovenian authorities in the form of a mobile application for informing about contacts with those infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus and persons who have been quarantined is disproportionate (it seems to lack some important safeguards explicitly invoked recently by relevant institutions and bodies of the European Union and the Council of Europe).

Keywords: the right of privacy, personal data protection, human rights, derogation and facultative limitations of human rights, European Convention on Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights, COVID-19 disease, constitutionality.