A/79/173 15. However, information and personal data are a central and indispensable part of cyberspace. Although there are different definitions of cyberspace, it should be understood as comprising the following aspects: • Technological infrastructure (technological resources) composed of countless pieces of equipment (servers, computers, cell phones, tablets, etc.) located in many parts of the world • A worldwide platform for communications (global communications network), information and interconnected networks (Internet), known as “global information infrastructure” • Millions of people and organizations of diverse nationalities that are based in countries with dissimilar legal systems and that, from anywhere in the world, use technology, communications and information to interact with other people, and utilize the services available on the Internet • Huge amounts of information (including personal data) that are constantly circulating within countries and across borders 16. Little by little, we are witnessing a shift from a physical world demarcated by geographical borders to a technological cyberspace without borders, in which the number of people interacting at any one time is gradually increasing. 17. The global, international and cross-border nature of many activities conducted through the Internet, such as e-commerce, has been a key aspect that has led to the need for appropriate regulations in order to promote development and innovation, and to sufficiently protect the right of individuals whose information is collected and used by companies, people and Governments throughout the world. In the Declaration on the Use of Scientific and Technological Progress in the Interests of Peace and for the Benefit of Mankind, 12 the General Assembly recognizes not only that “scientific and technological progress is of great importance in accelerating the social and economic development of developing countries”, but also that, while such developments “provide ever-increasing opportunities to better the conditions of life of peoples and nations, in a number of instances they can give rise to social problems, as well as threaten the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the individual”. For this reason, the Assembly continues, there is a “need to make full use of scientific and technological developments for the welfare of man and to neutralize the present and possible future harmful consequences of certain scientific and technological achievements”. Consequently, the Assembly agreed, among other things, that: “all States shall take effective measures, including legislative measures, to prevent and preclude the utilization of scientific and technological achievements to the detriment of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the dignity of the human person”. 13 II. Reports of the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy on issues relevant to the updating of General Assembly resolution 45/95 18. In a 2022 report, 14 the Special Rapporteur conducted a comparative study of seven international documents in order to determine the scope of the following principles relating to the processing of personal data: legality, lawfulness and legitimacy, consent, transparency, purpose, fairness, proportionality, minimization, __________________ 12 13 14 6/23 General Assembly resolution 3384 (XXX) of 10 November 1975. Ibid., para. 8. “Principles underpinning privacy and the protection of personal data”, report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy (A/77/196, 20 July 2022). 24-13146