“The
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a
resolution on Tuesday criticizing the use of mass surveillance by
national governments and calling on both member and observer states
to increase oversight on intelligence communities.”
“'In
several countries, a massive 'surveillance industrial complex' has
evolved, which risks escaping democratic control and accountability
and threatens the free and open character of our societies,' declares
the resolution, which was originally prepared by Pieter Omtzigt
(Netherlands, Group of the European People's Party) for the PACE
Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.”
“The
resolution comes in response to revelations after U.S. whistle-blower
Edward Snowden disclosed classified files in 2013 which showed the
use of extensive surveillance techniques being used at the time by
the U.S. National Security Association (NSA) and its international
partners in the global intelligence committee, to collect information
on individual citizens worldwide.”
“The
resolution calls on national governments to assure that information
gathering and analysis requires consent or a court order, to ensure
that national intelligence organizations are subject to judicial or
parliamentary oversight, and to provide for protection for
whistle-blowers, including asylum in 'cases of threatened unfair
prosecution in their home country.'”
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