Information, communications, rights and freedoms: Observations on the sovereignty of the state and its citizens

Abstract

This article explores the contested nature of sovereignty as it applies to the state and its citizens from the perspectives of information and communication. While the freedom of expression, right to information and communication rights have typically enhanced the sovereignty of citizens, in the recent past, the state has expanded its rights to mass surveillance, thereby infringing the freedom and rights of its citizens to expression, information and communication. Based on theory and examples of practice, it argues that the exercise of popular sovereignty through mass movements and collective actions contribute to the strengthening of the sovereignty of individuals and to limiting the extent of the state’s sovereign power.