Snowden Treaty Calls for Stronger International Privacy Rights
Today, coinciding with Pope Francis' headline-grabbing visit to New York City, a day before he addresses the U.N. General Assembly here, the advocacy group Avaaz enlisted Edward Snowden, journalist Glenn Greenwald and his partner David Miranda to bring attention to the launch of a new campaign seeking to strengthen privacy and protections for whistle-blowers with a new proposed treaty.
A copy of the document, dubbed the "International Treaty on the Right to Privacy, Protection Against Improper Surveillance and Protection of Whistle-Blowers," or the so-called Snowden Treaty, was delivered to the pope's staff, according to Avaaz. It calls for nation-states to end mass surveillance and protect privacy rights.
"The International Treaty on the Right to Privacy, Protection Against Improper Surveillance and Protection of Whistle-Blowers, or the Snowden Treaty, is a proposed international treaty for states that reaffirms and protects fundamental human rights—especially the right to privacy, a vital prerequisite for freedom of speech and association—in the context of the disturbing revelations by Edward Snowden," states a published summary of the proposed treaty. "The treaty was developed by experts in international law and legal experts on Internet freedoms and surveillance."
