<div dir="ltr"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Katitza Rodriguez</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:katitza@eff.org">katitza@eff.org</a>></span><br>
Date: Thu, Mar 27, 2014 at 9:01 AM<br>Subject: [RedLatAm] Fwd: [EDRi-members] NSA Spying at the UN (Concluding Remarks from the Human Rights Committee)<br>To: <a href="mailto:redlatam@lists.accessnow.org">redlatam@lists.accessnow.org</a><br>
<br><br><br>
Human Rights Committee Concluding Remarks -- Here is my Dispatch from<br>
Geneva.<br>
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<br>
NSA surveillance<br>
22. The Committee is concerned about the surveillance of communications<br>
in the interests of protecting national security, conducted by the<br>
National Security Agency (NSA) both within and outside the United States<br>
through the bulk phone metadata program (Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act)<br>
and, in particular, the surveillance under Section 702 of Amendments to<br>
the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) conducted through PRISM<br>
(collection of the contents of communications from U.S.-based companies)<br>
and UPSTREAM (tapping of fiber-optic cables in the U.S. that carry<br>
internet traffic) programs and their adverse impact on the right to<br>
privacy. The Committee is concerned that until recently, judicial<br>
interpretations of FISA and rulings of the Foreign Intelligence<br>
Surveillance Court (FISC) have largely been kept secret, thus not<br>
allowing affected persons to know the law with sufficient precision. The<br>
Committee is concerned that the current system of oversight of the<br>
activities of the NSA fails to effectively protect the rights of those<br>
affected. While welcoming the recent Presidential Policy Directive<br>
(PPD-28) that will now extend some safeguards to non-US persons “to the<br>
maximum extent feasible consistent with the national security”, the<br>
Committee remains concerned that such persons enjoy only limited<br>
protection against excessive surveillance. Finally, the Committee is<br>
concerned that those affected have no access to effective remedies in<br>
case of abuse (arts. 2, 5(1), and 17).<br>
The State party should:<br>
(a) take all necessary measures to ensure that its surveillance<br>
activities, both within and outside the United States, conform to its<br>
obligations under the Covenant, including article 17; in particular,<br>
measures should be taken to ensure that any interference with the right<br>
to privacy complies with the principles of legality, proportionality and<br>
necessity regardless of the nationality or location of individuals whose<br>
communications are under direct surveillance;<br>
(b) ensure that any interference with the right to privacy, family,<br>
home or correspondence be authorized by laws that (i) are publicly<br>
accessible; (ii) contain provisions that ensure that collection of,<br>
access to and use of communications data are tailored to specific<br>
legitimate aims; (iii) are sufficiently precise specifying in detail the<br>
precise circumstances in which any such interference may be permitted;<br>
the procedures for authorizing; the categories of persons who may be<br>
placed under surveillance; limits on the duration of surveillance;<br>
procedures for the use and storage of the data collected; and (iv)<br>
provide for effective safeguards against abuse;<br>
(c) reform the current system of oversight over surveillance activities<br>
to ensure its effectiveness, including by providing for judicial<br>
involvement in authorization or monitoring of surveillance measures, and<br>
considering to establish strong and independent oversight mandates with<br>
a view to prevent abuses;<br>
(d) refrain from imposing mandatory retention of data by third parties;<br>
(e) ensure that affected persons have access to effective remedies in<br>
cases of abuse.<br>
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<br>_______________________________________________<br>
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<br></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b>Carolina Rossini</b> </div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<i>Project Director, Latin America Resource Center</i></div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Open Technology Institute</div>
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