Human Rights Defender concerned over lawmakers’ phone number leak online

The ongoing monitoring of social networks by the Human Rights Defender’s Office of Armenia proves that hate speech and intolerance display a tendency of growth in the recent days.

The Human Rights Defender’s Office said the tendency of division and counterpose in different social groups are most concerning online.

Those who speak out against a certain topic are often not tolerated at all, while counter responses are often humiliating the dignity of people, up to advocating hatred, and in certain cases even inciting hostility towards specific individuals.

“These are factors obviously contributing to the growth of tension in the society. Concern increases even more if we take into account that the involvement of people in social media discussions has drastically increased in recent days, while mass rallies and marches will continue.

In terms of guaranteeing human rights, the full protection of human dignity and privacy (personal life) is important in any event.

In this context, it is concerning, for example, the online release of information relating to the personal life of Members of Parliament, including their phone number. Monitoring proves that ridicule, insult and hate speech are obvious in those platforms where the numbers have been released”, the Ombudsman’s Office said, adding that this is a factor contributing to the deepening of the atmosphere of intolerance.

The office expressed concern that this case can create a dangerous precedent of psychological pressure through the release of personal data of public figures.

The Ombudsman’s Office also called on media outlets to pay greater attention to fact checking and selection of headlines. Earlier the personal phone numbers of Members of Parliament were leaked online.