Cyber-security and Human Rights in North Macedonia and the Western Balkans: Mapping governance and actors

“A human-centric approach to defining cybersecurity means a focus not only on securing networks and services but also on how these networks and services can be used safely by all members of society.”

This publication focuses on mapping cybersecurity-related human rights opportunities and challenges in North Macedonia, which represents an area that is under-explored in the Western Balkan region. The study as a whole, aims to offer recommendations for the inclusion of human rights standards in cybersecurity governance and for better implementation of cybersecurity norms within the human rights frameworks of the country.

The whole research is available here. It is composed of six chapters in total, one for each economy in the Western Balkans. Each begins with essential conceptual background information regarding the cybersecurity and human rights contexts of each economy. They then each explore four core thematic issues: cybersecurity and the right to privacy, cybersecurity and freedom of expression, cybersecurity and freedom of peaceful assembly (and, where relevant, freedom of association), and cybersecurity and anti-discrimination. Finally, they present ways forward, with concrete recommendations for stakeholders.

The study for North Macedonia was executed by Metamorphosis Foundation with the support and guidance of DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, within the project “Good Governance in Cybersecurity in the Western Balkans” funded by the UK Government`s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Evaluating North Macedonia’s Media Law Reforms—A Partial Step Toward European Standards

North Macedonia is undergoing reforms to its media legislation, aiming to align with European Union (EU) standards. The Metamorphosis Foundation welcomes the initiative of the Government of Republic of North Macedonia to align national media legislation with European standards, particularly in the context of Chapter 23 of the EU acquis and the European Media Freedom […]

DISINFORMATION TRENDS AND NARRATIVES IN THE WESTERN BALKAN REGION, MEDIA MONITORING REPORT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2024

In the final quarter of 2024, the information environment in the Western Balkans was heavily saturated with disinformation, particularly anti-democratic narratives featuring anti-Western and anti-EU rhetoric. These were largely fueled by the region’s domestic political developments, from protests to electoral cycles, as well as the U.S. presidential election. Although disinformation about Russia’s war against Ukraine […]

STATE FUNDING IN NORTH MACEDONIA: MAKING THE SYSTEM FAIRER, STRONGER, AND MORE TRANSPARENT

This policy document builds on the findings of an in-depth study on paid political advertising during the 2024 parliamentary elections.[1] It aims to identify sustainable and realistic, long-term solutions to improve the system of political financing in the country. And, whilst we have focused on the use of indirect state funding through media – inclusive […]