RIGHT TO PRIVACY VS EVIDENTIARY INTERESTS LEGAL DILEMMAS IN DIGITAL ACCESS
Abstract
The development of digital technology has fundamentally transformed evidentiary mechanisms in modern law, particularly through the use of electronic data as evidence in judicial proceedings. However, despite its effectiveness in supporting law enforcement, the use of digital evidence also raises serious issues related to the protection of individuals' right to privacy. The right to privacy, a fundamental human right, often conflicts with evidentiary interests that demand broad access to personal data in the digital space. This study examines the legal dilemma between the right to privacy and evidentiary interests in digital access from the perspective of positive law and human rights principles. The method used is normative juridical with a statutory, conceptual, and comparative approach to several relevant national and international legal instruments. The results show an imbalance in digital law enforcement practices, where evidentiary interests tend to be more dominant than the protection of individuals' right to privacy. This condition is influenced by suboptimal regulations regarding legality standards, data access restrictions, and weak judicial oversight mechanisms for the collection of electronic evidence. Furthermore, there are challenges in implementing the principles of proportionality and due process of law, which should be the basis for any action to restrict privacy rights. Therefore, a more comprehensive regulatory reformulation is needed to ensure a balance between effective law enforcement and the protection of privacy rights. This research confirms that harmonization between evidentiary interests and privacy rights can only be achieved through strengthening the principle of legality, strict oversight, and the application of human rights standards in the digital legal system.
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