Within the regional project Growth and Digital Rights: Ensuring the Integration of the Western Balkans into the Digital Single Market, fifth Privacy Week was organized by Partners Serbia in Belgrade, from 29-31 January. The focus of this year’s Privacy Week was on privacy protection and data security, with a special emphasis on safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable groups, including activists and journalists. 

The following were the key messages from the central event of Privacy Week 2025, which marked International Data Protection Day – Amidst global and local political developments, the special focus was put on highlighting that defending privacy means defending freedom. The protection of privacy is a fundamental human right, yet this inalienable space of freedom remains a major challenge for many democracies, including ours. Violations of privacy rights lead to threats to equality and even security. Spyware has been used for over a decade – not only for counterterrorism and organized crime investigations but also to monitor investigative journalists and activists.  

During the main conference, several other topics were discussed, such as the synergy between personal data protection and the fight against discrimination, the protection of digital rights outside the EU’s regulatory framework and the so-called Brussels Effect, the security of medical data in AI model development, and other crucial topics. 

With this year’s slogan, Privacy for All!, the organizers aimed to emphasize the responsibility of all stakeholders—from corporations and state institutions to civil society organizations—to protect the most vulnerable. The conference highlighted the importance of collective action in the fight for privacy rights, creating spaces for discussion and free expression. Especially in such a politically turbulent climate, it is crucial to speak up about privacy rights and fight for them together using every available mechanism.