School of Law and Democratic Citizenship Theme Workshop

The School of Law is running a seminar with the Democratic Citizenship Theme featuring speaker Susie Alegre, international human rights barrister at Doughty Street Chambers and Interception of Communications Commissioner in the Isle of Man.

Freedom of thought is protected as an absolute right in international human rights law but has received little attention over the years either in the courts or in academic analysis, in part because of an assumption that our inner thoughts were beyond reach. Recent developments in technology, however, are increasingly providing new ways to access, alter and manipulate our thoughts in ways we had not previously dreamed possible. This presentation explores the way the technology we use in our daily lives could interfere with our freedom of thought and the potential impact of that on us as individuals and democratic societies. It argues that there is a pressing need to explore and define the scope of the right to freedom of thought in light of this new reality and to develop strong legal frameworks to protect our freedom of thought for the future.

Susie Alegre is an international human rights barrister and consultant with extensive experience working in international development and human rights policy and practice. She takes a strategic approach to law and policy development with a focus on the effective translation of international law frameworks into practice. She has worked with accountability and oversight mechanisms including ombudsman schemes, NHRIs and the judiciary in different jurisdictions and she is currently appointed as Interception of Communications Commissioner for the Isle of Man.