Civil Society Statement to the Human Rights Council on the impact of State Surveillance on Human Rights addressing the PRISM/NSA case

We express strong concern over recent revelations of surveillance of internet and telephone communications of US and non-US nationals by the government of the United States of America and the fact that US authorities makes the results of that surveillance available to other governments such as the United Kingdom. Of equal concern is the indication of apparent complicity of some US-based Internet companies with global reach.¹ These revelations suggest a blatant and systematic disregard for human rights as articulated in Articles 17 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as well as Articles 12 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Just last year the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 20/8, which “Affirms that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression …”² But during this session the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Mr. Frank La Rue, reported (A/HRC/23/40) worrying new trends in state surveillance of communications with serious implications for the exercise of the human rights to privacy and to freedom of opinion and expression. The Special Rapporteur notes that inadequate and non-existent legal frameworks “create a fertile ground for arbitrary and unlawful infringements of the right to privacy in communications and, consequently, also threaten the protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression”.³

The application of surveillance mechanisms to the heart of global digital communications drastically threatens the protection of human rights in the digital age. As Frank La Rue notes in reference to such actions: “This raises serious concern with regard to the extra-territorial commission of human rights violations and the inability of individuals to know that they might be subject to foreign surveillance, challenge decisions with respect to foreign surveillance, or seek remedies.” This recent case is an example of human rights violations specifically relevant to the Internet, and one foreshadowed in the Council’s 2012 Expert Panel on Freedom of Expression and the Internet.

We call for protection of those who have made these violations public. As Mr La Rue notes, laws “must not be used to target whistleblowers … nor should they hamper the legitimate oversight of government action by citizens. “We urge States protect those whistleblowers involved in this case and to support their efforts to combat violations of the fundamental human rights of all global citizens. Whistleblowers play a critical role in promoting transparency and upholding the human rights of all.

We call on the Human Rights Council to act swiftly to prevent the creation of a global Internet based surveillance system by:

1. convening a special session to examine this case
2. supporting a multistakeholder process to implement the recommendation of Mr La Rue that the Human Rights Committee develop a new General Comment 16 on the right to privacy in light of technological advancements, and,
3. requesting the High Commissioner to prepare a report that:
   1. formally asks states to report on practices and laws in place on surveillance and what corrective steps will they will take to meet human rights standards, and,
   2. examines the implications of this case in in the light of the Human Rights Council endorsed United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework of A/HRC/RES/17/4.

[1] Such as Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, and Apple. From http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/us-intelligence-mining-data-from-nine-us-internet-companies-in-broad-secret-program/2013/06/06/3a0c0da8-cebf-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html
[2] http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/RES/20/8
[3] http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session23/A.HRC.23.40_EN.pdf

Organisational endorsements

96		PEN International		Jun 20, 2013
95		Free Press Unlimited		Jun 18, 2013
94		Communication Is Your Right!		Jun 17, 2013
93		Torservers.net / Zwiebelfreunde e.V.		Jun 14, 2013
92		governance.lists.igcaucus.org		Jun 14, 2013
91		Foundation for Media Alternatives		Jun 14, 2013
90		Net Neutrality User Forum (south korea)		Jun 14, 2013
89		May First/People Link		Jun 13, 2013
88		Virtual Activism		Jun 13, 2013
87		CSISAC - The Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council to the OECD		Jun 13, 2013
86		People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy		Jun 13, 2013
85		TalkNicer.com		Jun 13, 2013
84		nemox.net		Jun 12, 2013
83		Stichting Rechtswetenschap		Jun 12, 2013
82		VIBE!AT		Jun 12, 2013
81		Privat		Jun 12, 2013
80		[email protected]		Jun 12, 2013
79		Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet		Jun 12, 2013
78		International Association for Media and Communication Research		Jun 11, 2013
77		Media in Cooperation and Transition MICT		Jun 11, 2013
76		Netway Telecom		Jun 11, 2013
75		Vrijschrift		Jun 11, 2013
74		Federation of Young European Greens		Jun 11, 2013
73		Interaction Law		Jun 11, 2013
72		Restore the Fourth Amendment: Charlotte, NC		Jun 11, 2013
71		Law, Internet and Society Nucleous (NDIS) - University of São Paulo, Brazil		Jun 11, 2013
70		Centre for Communication Governance, National Law University, Delhi		Jun 11, 2013
69		Knowledge Ecology International		Jun 11, 2013
68		Initiative für Netzfreiheit		Jun 11, 2013
67		Open Rights Group		Jun 11, 2013
66		European Digital Rights		Jun 11, 2013
65		IRP Coalition Steering Committee member		Jun 11, 2013
64		Digitale Gesellschaft e.V. (Germany)		Jun 11, 2013
63		Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC)		Jun 11, 2013
62		Association for Technology and Internet - ApTI Romania		Jun 11, 2013
61		CENTRE AFRICAIN D'ECHANGE CULTUREL (CAFEC)		Jun 11, 2013
60		datapanik.org		Jun 11, 2013
59		Liga voor Mensenrechten		Jun 11, 2013
58		NURPA, Net Users' Rights Protection Association		Jun 11, 2013
57		Internet Governance Forum of Pakistan		Jun 11, 2013
56		Electronic Frontier Finland		Jun 11, 2013
55		Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC)		Jun 11, 2013
54		Foundation for Media Alternatives		Jun 11, 2013
53		CESoL		Jun 10, 2013
52		Digitalcourage e.V., Germany		Jun 10, 2013
51		ChokePoint Project		Jun 10, 2013
50		Centro de Estudos da Mídia Alternativa Barão de Itararé		Jun 10, 2013
49		Movimento Mega - Brazil		Jun 10, 2013
48		Alternative Informatics Association - Turkey		Jun 10, 2013
47		GPOPAI - Research Group on Public Policy of Access of Information (Brazil)		Jun 10, 2013
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Individual endorsements

220		Christine McKenzie		Jun 21, 2013
219		Fred Hage		Jun 19, 2013
218		john fite		Jun 19, 2013
217		Rachel Shockley		Jun 18, 2013
216		jorge loayza		Jun 17, 2013
215		Maria Elena Casañas		Jun 17, 2013
214		Martin Stolpe		Jun 17, 2013
213		julie balsaux		Jun 16, 2013
212		Jean Cristofol		Jun 16, 2013
211		Carlos Alén		Jun 15, 2013
210		Sarah MacIntosh		Jun 15, 2013
209		Sam Wildey		Jun 15, 2013
208		Goldie Davich		Jun 14, 2013
207		Lisa Siegfried		Jun 14, 2013
206		Jessica McKellar		Jun 14, 2013
205		Sylvia Preuss-Laussinotte		Jun 14, 2013
204		Michael Dittmer		Jun 13, 2013
203		Carsten Gerlach		Jun 13, 2013
202		Tony Hernández-Pérez		Jun 13, 2013
201		Gilbert Allen Plugowski		Jun 12, 2013
200		Torsten Matschiess		Jun 12, 2013
199		Gregor von Drabich		Jun 12, 2013
198		Rudolf E. Steiner		Jun 12, 2013
197		Juergen Refaeuter		Jun 12, 2013
196		Renato Sachon		Jun 12, 2013
195		Lutz Dausend		Jun 12, 2013
194		Andreas Kraska		Jun 12, 2013
193		Deniz Burucu		Jun 12, 2013
192		Stephan Neumann		Jun 12, 2013
191		David Müller		Jun 12, 2013
190		Pepi Zawodsky		Jun 12, 2013
189		Thomas Lohninger		Jun 12, 2013
188		Jochen Hoffmann		Jun 12, 2013
187		Stephan Sanders		Jun 12, 2013
186		Oliver Keim		Jun 12, 2013
185		Michael Linke		Jun 12, 2013
184		Dirk Khandanpour		Jun 12, 2013
183		Klaus Kornfeld		Jun 12, 2013
182		Michael Weber		Jun 12, 2013
181		Harald Janz		Jun 12, 2013
180		Andrew Porteous		Jun 12, 2013
179		Wulf Wulfhekel		Jun 12, 2013
178		Oliver Haag		Jun 12, 2013
177		Sebastian Steinhuber		Jun 12, 2013
176		Thomas Hartmann		Jun 12, 2013
175		Hrvoje Ilijic		Jun 12, 2013
174		Martin Austermeier		Jun 12, 2013
173		Roland Gaida		Jun 12, 2013
172		Yannic Behncke		Jun 12, 2013
171		Csaba Szabo		Jun 12, 2013
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