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The College of Law at the United Arab Emirates University recently hosted an international symposium entitled, ‘Privacy and the Challenges of the Virtual World.’ This symposium was attended by legal experts from the UAE, Egypt, the United States, Morocco and Lebanon. As such there was a range of research studies concerning violations of individual privacy in the digital world on display.

Dr. Habiba Al Shamsi, Professor of Private Law and Deputy Dean of Student Affairs, talked about the importance of the seminar and the ‘right to privacy’. She added that privacy is a basic right but remains controversial among experts in the law. Privacy and sanctity of private life has always been a focus since the time of many ancient civilizations and in many religions. Although laws have varied from one society and time to another, the information revolution has focused attention on the need to combine efforts to develop rules that can protect those who make their own information; including calls, messages, photos and video clips open to the public. Chat rooms and social networks can create an environment where violations of privacy are rife, leading to Internet crime.

The Seminar highlighted the legal and legitimate basis for privacy, contemporary challenges and the extent of the right to a private life when balanced between individual rights and the best interests of society. These goals were discussed as three themes addressed in the seminar and attended by professors, researchers and students who learned of the importance of individual privacy in the virtual and digital world.