The Concept of “Private Life” in Civil Doctrine and Law Enforcement Practice

Relevance of the study is determined by a special positivization of Article 152.2 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation – ‘Protection of the private life of a citizen’, which demonstrated the position of the domestic legislator, who took a course on detailed legal regulation of intangible benefits of a citizen. However, the appearance of special regulations concerning ‘private life’ in the civil law field did not contribute to the surge of civil scientific activity: traditionally, this phenomenon is investigated in the context of constitutional and criminal investigations. Taking into account the civil-law branch of ‘private life’, there is an objective need for civil developments in this regard.
The purpose of the study is to analyze the degree of scientific elaboration of the concept of ‘private life’ in the civil doctrine and the relevant topics of scientific research of law enforcement practice, which is explanatory in nature.
Objectives: to study the determinants of the positivization of ‘private life’ within the framework of a separate article of a codified act of civil legislation; to find out the constitutional foundations of a person's ‘private life’; to analyze the definitions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, which set out the most generalized idea of ‘private life’; to determine the specifics of the interpretation of ‘private life’ by the European Court of Human Rights; to consider some scientific views on the concept of ‘private life’ and its content.
Methodology of scientific research. In the course of the research, the following methods were used: dogmatic, comparative-legal, intersectoral, historical-legal, method of interpretation.
Results. The degree of research into the concept of ‘private life’ of a person is insufficient, especially in the field of civil scientific developments. In this regard, the term ‘private life’, studied mainly as a social phenomenon, is characterized by legal uncertainty, which in turn requires further scientific research.
Conclusions. It is established that ‘private life’ is a social concept, which determines its definition mainly not through legal, but through social categories, including spheres of life; it is found out that the intersectoral study of ‘private life’ mainly by representatives of constitutional, criminal and civil law is determined by the objective fact that the inviolability of private life guaranteed at the constitutional level, and protected by diversified norms of law.

1. Miheeva L. Yu. Modernizaciya instituta nematerial'nyh blag: dostizheniya i perspektivy [Modernization of the institute of intangible benefits: achievements and prospects]. Kodifikaciya rossijskogo chastnogo prava 2019 [Kodifikaciya rossijskogo chastnogo prava 2019]; ed. by D. A. Medvedev. Moscow, Statut Publ., 2019. 492 p.

2. Gabov A. V., Golubcov V. G., Kuznecova O. A. Vstupitel'naya stat'ya [Introductory article]. Metodologicheskie problemy civilisticheskih issledovanij. Sbornik nauchnyh statej. Ezhegodnik [Methodological problems of civil studies: a collection of scientific articles. Yearbook]; ed. by A. V. Gabov, V. G. Golubcov, O. A. Kuznecova. Moscow, Statut by Publ., 2017, Is. 2, pp. 5–13.

3. Puginskij B. I. Grazhdansko-pravovye sredstva v hozyajstvennyh otnosheniyah [Civil legal means in economic relations]. Moscow, Yurid. lit. Publ., 1984. 224 p.

4. Metodologicheskie problemy nauki. Materialy zasedaniya Prezidiuma Akad. nauk SSSR [Methodological problems of science: materials of the meeting of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1964. 350 p.

5. Maleina M. N. Lichnye neimushchestvennye prava grazhdan: ponyatie, osushchestvlenie, zashchita [Personal non-property rights of citizens: concept, implementation, protection]. Moscow, MZ Press Publ., 2000. 244 p.

6. Alejnikova V. V. Ohrana chastnoj zhizni grazhdanina (st. 152.2 GK RF): teoreticheskij i pravoprimenitel'nyj aspekty [Protection of a citizen's private life (Article 152.2 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation): theoretical and law enforcement aspects]. Zakon = Law, 2019, vol. 7, pp. 183–195.

7. Barinov S. V. K voprosu ob opredelenii ponyatiya "chastnaya zhizn'" [On the question of defining the concept of "private life"]. Konstitucionnoe i municipal'noe pravo = Constitutional and Municipal Law, 2015, vol. 4, pp. 28–30.

8. Maleina M. N. Pravo na tajnu i neprikosnovennost' personal'nyh dannyh [The right to secrecy and inviolability of personal data]. Zhurnal rossijskogo prava = Journal of Russian Law, 2010, vol. 11, pp. 18–28.

9. Petruhin I. L. Lichnaya zhizn': predely vmeshatel'stva [Personal life: limits of intervention]. Moscow, Yurid. lit. Publ., 1989. 192 p.

10. Krasikov A. N. Ugolovno-pravovaya ohrana prav i svobod cheloveka v Rossii [Criminal law protection of human rights and freedoms in Russia]. Saratov, Saratov Univ. Publ., 1996. 99 p.

11. Shevchenko I. A. Ugolovno-pravovaya ohrana neprikosnovennosti chastnoj zhizni. Avtoref. diss. kand. yurid. nauk [Criminal and legal protection of privacy. Cand. legal sci. abstract diss.]. Krasnoyarsk, 2005, 23 p.

12. Galygina I. P. Ugolovno-pravovaya harakteristika narusheniya neprikosnovennosti chastnoj zhizni. Avtoref. diss. kand. yurid. nauk [Criminal-legal characteristics of violation of privacy. Cand. legal sci. abstract diss.]. Tomsk, 2006. 25 p.

13. Zherebkin V. P. Ugolovno-pravovaya ohrana chastnoj zhizni. Avtoref. diss. kand. yurid. nauk [Criminal and legal protection of private life. Cand. legal sci. abstract diss.]. Saratov, 2003. 25 p.

14. Kutafin O. E. Neprikosnovennost' v konstitucionnom prave Rossijskoj Federacii [Inviolability in the constitutional law of the Russian Federation]. Moscow, Yurist Publ., 2004. 405 p.

15. Petruhin I. L. Lichnye tajny (chelovek i vlast') [Personal secrets (man and power)]. Moscow, IGIP RAN Publ., 1998. 232 p.

16. Lepeshkina N. P. Neprikosnovennost' chastnoj zhizni, chto eto? [Privacy, what is it?]. Advokatskaya praktika = Law practice, 2005, vol. 2, pp. 37–39.

17. Sysoev Yu. E. Ugolovno-pravovye sredstva protivodejstviya nezakonnomu vmeshatel'stvu v chastnuyu zhizn'. Avtoref. diss. kand. yurid. nauk [Criminal legal means of countering illegal interference in private life. Cand. legal sci. abstract diss.]. Moscow, 2011. 30 p.

18. Romanovskij G. B. Konstitucionnoe regulirovanie prava na neprikosnovennost' chastnoj zhizni. Avtoref. diss. kand. yurid. nauk [Constitutional regulation of the right to privacy. Cand. legal sci. abstract diss.]. St. Petersburg, 1997. 18 p.

19. Baglaj M. V. Konstitucionnoe pravo Rossijskoj Federacii [Constitutional law of the Russian Federation]. Moscow, Infra-M Publ., 2006. 767 p.

20. Maleina M. N. Chastnaya zhizn' "za steklom": pravovye problemy provedeniya interaktivnyh igrovyh shou v real'nom vremeni i sposoby ih resheniya [Private life "behind the glass": legal problems of conducting interactive game shows in real time and ways to solve them]. Zakonodatel'stvo = Legislation, 2002, vol. 2, pp. 29–34.

21. Lejbo Yu. I., Tolstopyatenko G. P., Ekshtajn K. A. Prava i svobody cheloveka i grazhdanina [Human and civil rights and freedoms]. Moscow, Ekom Publ., 2000. 447 p.

22. Savel'ev A. I. Napravleniya regulirovaniya bol'shih dannyh i zashchita neprikosnovennosti chastnoj zhizni v novyh ekonomicheskih realiyah [Directions of regulation of Big data and protection of privacy in new economic realities]. Zakon = Law, 2018, vol. 5, pp. 122–144.

23. Krasavchikova L. O. Ponyatie i sistema lichnyh, ne svyazannyh s imushchestvennymi prav grazhdan (fizicheskih lic) v grazhdanskom prave Rossijskoj Federacii. Diss. dokt. yurid. nauk [The concept and system of personal, non-property rights of citizens (individuals) in the civil law of the Russian Federation. Dr. legal sci. diss.]. Ekaterinburg, 1994. 435 p.

24. Tolstoj B. C. Lichnye neimushchestvennye pravootnosheniya [Personal non-property legal relations]. Moscow, Elit Publ., 2006. 198 p.

25. Ermolova O. N. Nematerial'nye blaga i ih zashchita. Diss. kand. yurid. nauk [Intangible benefits and their protection. Cand. legal sci. diss.]. Saratov, 1998. 150 p.

26. Slesarev V. L. Ob"ekt i rezul'tat grazhdanskogo pravonarusheniya [Object and result of a civil offense]. Tomsk, Tomsk Univ. Publ., 1980. 167 p.

27. Mihno E. A. Kompensaciya moral'nogo vreda vo vnedogovornyh obyazatel'stvah. Diss. kand. yurid. nauk [Compensation for moral damage in non-contractual obligations. Cand. legal sci. diss.]. St. Petersburg, 1998. 163 p.