TY - THES ID - 134738864 TI - Open source and social media intelligence for security purposes: Human rights implications AU - Belghazi, Soraya AU - Kuczerawy, Aleksandra AU - KU Leuven. Faculteit Rechtsgeleerdheid. Opleiding Master of Intellectual Property and ICT Law (Programme for students started as from 2020-2021) (Brussels) PY - 2021 PB - Leuven KU Leuven. Faculteit Rechtsgeleerdheid DB - UniCat UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:134738864 AB - In the era of Big Data, law enforcement authorities (LEAs) increasingly use open source intelligence (OSINT) for security purposes. The publicly available sources which constitute OSINT often contain sensitive personal data obtained from social media (so-called open source social media intelligence or open SOCMINT). At first sight, the collection and processing of publicly available data appears less problematic than that of closed source data such as private phone calls and correspondence. But a closer look at the use of OSINT by LEAs for security purposes shows serious implications for human rights, especially the right to privacy and data protection. Focusing on the legal framework applicable in the European Union, this thesis examines whether existing safeguards are sufficiently comprehensive and adequate to guarantee that fundamental human rights are effectively protected whenever OSINT, including its SOCMINT component, is used by LEAs for security purposes. It describes recent evolutions in the practices of LEAs powered by OSINT, such as strategic surveillance and predictive policing, and assesses these practices against EU data protection legislation and the related case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights. Although the human rights implications of OSINT activities of LEAs are in great part addressed by the existing EU legal framework, our analysis shows that strengthened or additional safeguards may be required in certain areas. ER -