North Macedonia

Authoritarians around the world increasingly use digital technology for malign purposes, and despite continuous human rights violations online, attacks on information integrity, and criminal data breaches, democratic states are still largely unable to build consensus on digital governance at the national, regional, and international levels. The international community faces widespread and complex challenges related to protecting democratic values online.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of public life. Virtually unprecedented, the public health crisis required an emergency response. That response, however, has brought with it a new set of concerns that might have a lasting impact well beyond the pandemic. Privacy is under serious threat. Governments rushed to deploy tracking apps in an effort to curb the spread of the virus by facilitating contact tracing and monitoring for compliance with self-isolation regimes.