Celebrity Privacy: Between Violation and Freedom of Expression

Abstract

This paper deals with both the concept of privacy and freedom of expression, and the boundaries between freedom of expression and violation of privacy. This paper discusses three cases considered one of the most prominent cases of privacy violation for Arab celebrities and their repercussions on them. The first is the case of the Kuwaiti blogger, where the surveillance camera inside her house was hacked, which led to the violation of her privacy and the privacy of her children. And about the second case of the director and member of the Egyptian Parliament, "Khaled Youssef", some inappropriate videos were leaked and attributed to him, which negatively affected his position and his family. Finally, the case was for a girl named "Mall Girl". A video clip of the assault that happened to her in a mall in Egypt was leaked, and she was hosted by a broadcaster to clarify the details of the case, but the mall girl's privacy was violated again when the anchor showed some pictures of the girl. The difference in opinion and the great confusion between opinions in these cases is clear in this paper that the act constitutes a form of freedom of expression in the eyes of some, or that it is a violation of privacy and criticism of some behaviours that occurred from the celebrities themselves or broadcasters in the eyes of the other party. Finally, a discussion of privacy laws and the legal framework in some Arab countries such as Egypt and Kuwait and some laws stipulated in international laws and agreements in this research.