Woven Teaching believes that human rights education is essential for students to understand and assert their own rights and to protect the rights of others. As a result, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) lies at the core of Woven Teaching’s materials. The document’s 30 articles outline fundamental human rights: basic rights and freedoms which every human being is entitled to, regardless of the person’s race, religion, birthplace, gender, sexual orientation, or other characteristics. Although its articles are not legally binding, the UDHR serves as the moral compass for the international community.

Article 12 of the UDHR outlines the right to privacy – a person’s right to limit unwanted and unwarranted interference in their life.

A lesson about Article 12 has many applications in the classroom. For example, it could be added to units about:

• Surveillance under totalitarian regimes (e.g. Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, etc.)
• September 11 and ensuing legislation (e.g. the PATRIOT Act)
• Media literacy and online safety
• Roe v. Wade and the movement for reproductive rights

Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not legally binding, the rights described in its articles can be found in international covenants and treaties which are legally binding. The right to privacy can be found in Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1966. The United States is a State Party to the ICCPR; under international law, the U.S. must abide by its articles.

What Do You Think About Privacy? (10 Minutes)

Students will consider their opinions on the importance of privacy.

1. Begin by asking students to define “privacy”. Ask them to think about a time when their privacy has been violated.
   
   1. Ask a few students to share about their experiences. What happened?
   2. Why did this happen? Have students ever violated someone else’s privacy?
   3. Are there times when a person or organization or government has the right to violate someone’s privacy?
2. Explain that this lesson will examine Article 12 of the UDHR as it relates to issues of privacy and the balance of personal rights with issues of security and prevention.
 
3. Ask students to write about the following questions in their journals (they do not need to respond to every question):
   1. Write about a time that your privacy was violated.
   2. How did you react when your privacy was violated?
   3. Why was your privacy violated? What was the reason behind this violation?
   4. Have you ever violated someone else’s privacy? For what reason?
   5. Are there any circumstances when it is okay for a person, group, or government to violate someone’s privacy? If so, what are examples of circumstances where it might be useful/necessary to violate someone’s privacy?

Articles in Action: Human Rights Around the World (25 Minutes)

Students will analyze case studies of privacy violations from around the world.

1. Preparation:
1. Write or print each case study on a separate sheet of chart paper. Hang each sheet at a different location in the room. If there are a large number of students, hang more than one copy of each case study so that all students have the opportunity to read all three case studies.
2. Write the following questions on the board or on another sheet of chart paper:
• Briefly summarize the case study. What happened?
• How was Article 12 violated in this case study?
• Who was responsible for this violation? (e.g. government, employer, another person, etc.)
• What was the stated reason or objective behind this violation?
• Could this violation have been prevented? If so, how?
2. Explain to students that during this activity, they will read case studies of privacy violations. Working with a partner, students will move around the room, stopping to read each case study carefully, then work with their partner to answer the discussion questions about each case study in their notebooks.
 
3. After 15 minutes, debrief as a class by asking students to share their thoughts about each case study.
• In what ways were the violations of privacy damaging or harmful? What were the possible effects of this violation?
• Where do we draw the line between personal privacy and national security? How do we make these decisions? Who makes these decisions?
• What kinds of violations or protections have students seen in their communities? Ask students to be as specific as possible.

At What Cost? (20 Minutes)

Students will consider the balance between safety and privacy.

1. Begin the lesson by asking students to move to the center of the room.
 
2. Provide the following background information:
   In 2013, Edward Snowden, a former computer intelligence consultant, leaked classified information from the U.S. National Security Agency. Snowden’s leak revealed that the U.S. government had been spying on millions of Americans by monitoring their internet and telephone communications. The government claimed it was doing this in the interest of national security; it was attempting to stop terrorist attacks before they happened.
   
   The government would like to prosecute Edward Snowden, but he has lived in exile since 2013. He cannot return to the U.S. without being arrested.
 
3. Read the statements below one at a time. After reading each statement, ask students to move to either side of the room to demonstrate their opinion. They should move to the left side of the room if they agree with the statement, and they should move to the right side of the room if they disagree. Even if students feel ambivalent about their answers, they should pick a side. Ask students to move silently until every person has taken their place either on the left or right side of the room.

Statements:
• Governments should be able to monitor its residents’ communications under any circumstances.
• There is no legitimate reason for a government to monitor the communications of its residents.
• Edward Snowden should be allowed to return to the U.S. without the threat of going to jail.
• People should be okay with giving up some of their privacy if it means they might be safer from terrorist attacks.
• The right to privacy is an important human right.
• The NSA violated human rights by monitoring communications.
4. After students have moved to one side or the other, debrief by asking a couple students on each side to explain their position. Respectful debate between sides should be encouraged. Students are encouraged to switch sides during the discussion if they have a change of opinion.
 
5. After you have read all statements, debrief as a class. Is there consensus? Where is there disagreement and why?

Closing (5 Minutes)

Students will reflect on actions that they can take in their community to protect the rights enshrined in Article 12. Provide each student with an “exit card” and ask them to answer at least one of the following questions. Remind them to be specific:

• What is one thing that you learned today?
• What is one action that you can take today to promote these rights in your community?
• What are some of the challenges you might face in promoting these rights?
• How can you look to each other or others in your community for support?

Article in Action Case Studies

Case Study #1

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is the governing body for high school sports in Florida. In order to play on their school’s sports teams, the FHSAA requires that students complete a medical questionnaire with their doctor.

For years, the form has included optional questions about menstruation. In 2022, the FHSAA proposed a change in policy that would require athletes to report about their menstruation history. Many in the community believed this to be a violation of students’ privacy.

While more than 40 states require or request data about menstruation from high school athletes, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and increased discrimination and restriction of transgender students has led to increased protest around the issue. Following uproar from students, parents, and community members, the FHSAA voted to remove questions about menstruation from medical forms required by student athletes.

Case Study #2

Indonesia is a large island country in Southeast Asia. It is a majority-Muslim country and has the fourth largest population in the world. At the end of 2022, the Indonesian parliament passed a new criminal code. Among other restrictions, the new legislation makes it a criminal offense for unmarried adults to live together or have consensual sexual relations outside of marriage.

In Indonesia, same-sex couples cannot marry. Because the new criminal code outlaws sexual activity outside of marriage, the law therefore makes all same-sex activity illegal. Similarly, millions of Indonesian couples–especially those that live in rural areas–are not married or have only been married using religious (not legal) ceremonies. The new law means that all of these couples are at risk of being arrested and sentenced to jail on the basis of their relationship status.

Case Study #3

In the early 2010s, an academic at Cambridge University–in collaboration with a company called Cambridge Analytica–created an app to harvest data from Facebook users. The app was a personality test. In order to take the personality test, Facebook users had to share information from their profile with the app.

At the time, however, Facebook allowed app developers to also access data from user’s friends. Because of this, Cambridge Analytica had access to personal information from approximately 87 million Facebook users through the 270,000 test-takers that used the app. The data collected included people’s locations, photos, private messages, status updates, and more.

Using this data, Cambridge Analytica created specific psychological profiles for the test-takers and their friends. Working with the Trump campaign, it used this information to feed Facebook users very specific targeted political ads during the 2016 Presidential election in the United States. Many argue that this influenced the results of the election.