Public interests - a sociological concept that characterizes the interests of a community of people or the average representative of the population in terms of well-being, security, stability and progress, etc. They exist along with state and personal ones. Often they are opposed to each other. The difference between public interest and personal interest is that the first is characterized by widespread among the population, and the second characterizes the personal interests of a particular citizen.
The state is called upon to be the main defender of public interests. Often this is done by private organizations or public organizations. They monitor the situation, organize rallies, and try to influence local and federal authorities in order to protect the rights and interests of the country's inhabitants. Their actions can go as far as attempts to amend legislation through an appeal to international bodies and the Constitutional Court.
State and public interests do not always coincide. This forces the authorities to seek a compromise and influence the mass (public) consciousness through the media. Until now, the boundary between the private interest of individuals and the public has not been established, which indicates the vagueness of the concept.
Legal protection of civil interests
Such protection is based on the eternal desire of people for social justice. In connection with this, a special term appeared: "the law of public interest." Most often it is used in the open spaces of the former USSR. They are appealed, first of all, by representatives of human rights organizations, environmentalists, professional lawyers and other human rights defenders. Common to all these groups is the desire to use law as a tool to solve social and other problems. Based on these principles, activities include respect for human rights, an open society, democracy and the rule of law.
The role of the state in the formation of public interests
The collective interests of the masses are changing throughout the history of mankind. Most often, people's demands are growing, but the spectrum of preferences is changing, emphasis is changing. Previously, the right to security, personal freedom and free labor was a critical component. And, for example, the right to rest went by the wayside. Now there are much more public interests than before. The state influences the interests of people through television and other media. It is trying to turn their preferences and priorities in a more advantageous direction.
Now in Russia it is becoming increasingly popular to have a car. That is, owning it is already a public interest. A similar conclusion can be made about the increase in housing size. The living space that satisfied Soviet people is unlikely to suit the current Russian. At the same time, for the Japanese, smaller values are sufficient.
The new public interests include the right to use the Internet, mobile communications, a tablet and other similar electronics. Previously, this was not in the civic interests of people.
Are there such concepts in the legislation of the Russian Federation?
The legislation of the Russian Federation does not contain any definitions of public, state and public interests. Some guidance regarding these concepts is available in the Civil Code of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. It says that the use and publication of an image of a specific person is possible only if there is a public interest, namely in cases where a citizen is an important public and political figure, and the use of the image is required for public discussion or in order to satisfy the public interest of citizens. However, in situations where the purpose of publishing and using the image is a purely philistine interest in his personal life or a commercial goal is pursued, for publication it will be necessary to obtain permission from this citizen.
What is meant by public
The legislation does not classify any interest of the population as a public interest. They include only the most significant, such as ensuring security (national, environmental, personal, etc.), the rights and freedoms of citizens. The public interest may include the provision by the media of information on abuse of authority and other information relating to the publicly significant activities of an official. But at the same time, the publication of materials on the private life of a person whose activity is not socially significant can no longer be considered an activity satisfying the interests of society.
