Tag: International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance

Today the U.N. General Assembly took a critical first step in addressing mass surveillance as a human rights violations with the passage of a resolution recognizing the right to privacy in the digital age.

In 2013, we learned digital surveillance by world governments knows no bounds. Their national intelligence and other investigative agencies can capture our phone calls, track our location, peer into our address books, and read our emails. They do this often in secret, without adequate public oversight, and in violation of our human rights.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has joined the chorus of international leaders reaffirming the need to protect human rights in the face of mass surveillance.

Recent revelations of sweeping government surveillance demonstrate the urgent need to update outdated privacy laws to reflect modern surveillance technologies in a way that is consistent with international human rights. To move toward that goal, Access is excited to announce the release of the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance.