Cannataci calls for States to respect privacy as universal right

The report, presented by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joseph Cannataci, to the Human Rights Council, denounces current surveillance legislation and calls for States to respect privacy as a universal right in the digital age. Cannataci referred to the current legislation aimed at regulating surveillance, calling the measures introduced in new surveillance laws in France, Germany, the UK and the USA ‘extremly intrusive’. He urged to stop the manipulation with the fear of terrorism: ‘Desist from playing the fear card, and improve security through proportionate and effective measures, not with unduly disproportionate privacy-intrusive laws.” In conclusion, he called for the international cooperation and transparency towards the public, and demanded ‘safeguards without borders and remedies across borders’.