[governance] FW: [OGP] fw URGENT: Call for signatures on Surveillance statement

Mon Nov 4 06:12:48 EST 2013

An interesting sign on letter below from our fraternal CS cousins in the
Open Government Partnership process.

The sign on letter is I think of particular interest in that it calls for
transparency around surveillance to be built into national OGP
plans/commitments. (evidently there was a significant dust-up between Indian
Right to Information activist Aruna Roy and John Kerry over transparency,
open government and surveillance as a highlight of the just concluded OGP
event in London.

M

From: OGP [mailto:ogp-bounces at lists.opengovcanada.ca] On Behalf Of Tamir
Israel
Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2013 12:20 PM
To: OGP at lists.opengovcanada.ca
Subject: [OGP] fw URGENT: Call for signatures on Surveillance statement

Please see the request below for a call for signatories for a statement to
the OGP on the need for greater transparency in surveillance.

Best,
Tamir

-------- Original Message --------
> Subject:      FW: URGENT: Call for signatures on Surveillance
> statement
> Date:        Fri, 1 Nov 2013 16:17:38 +0100
>  From:       Helen Darbishire  <mailto:helen at access-info.org>
<helen at access-info.org>
> CC:   'Anne Jellema'  <mailto:anne at webfoundation.org>
<anne at webfoundation.org>
> 
> 
> 
> * *
> 
> I am writing from the Open Government Partnership meeting in London to
> urge you to sign a statement that civil society is issuing about the
> need for greater transparency around Surveillance.
> 
> 
> Signatures thus far are below. Please send your signatures to me and to
> Anne Jellema of the Web Foundation (anne at webfoundation.org
>  <mailto:anne at webfoundation.org> <mailto:anne at webfoundation.org>).
> 
>  *Timing*: we will issue the statement at the OGP meeting today but will
> continue to collect signatures through next week, with final date being
> Monday 11 November.  *Please sign today if you can*!
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you in advance!
> 
> 
> 
> Helen
> 
> *----------------------------------------------*
> 
> Helen Darbishire
> 
> *Executive Director, Access Info Europe  <http://www.access-info.org/>
<http://www.access-info.org/>*
> 
> Mobile + 34 667 685 319
> 
> Skype: helen_darbishire
> 
> Twitter @helen_access
> 
> 
> 
> -------//-------//---------//-------//-----
> 
> 
> 
> Statement of Concern on Disproportionate Surveillance
> 
> 
> 
> We, the undersigned civil society organisations, affirm our deep
> commitment to the goals of the Open Government Partnership, which in its
> declaration endorsed "more transparent, accountable, responsive and
> effective government" founded on the principles of the Universal
> Declaration of Human Rights.
> 
> 
> 
> We join other civil society organisations, human rights groups,
> academics and ordinary citizens in expressing our grave concern over
> allegations that governments around the world, including many OGP
> members, have been routinely intercepting and retaining the private
> communications of entire populations, in secret, without warrants and
> with little or no meaningful oversight. Such practices allegedly include
> the routine exchange of "foreign" surveillance data in order to evade
> domestic laws that restrict governments' ability to spy on their own
> citizens.
> 
> 
> 
> Such practices erode the checks and balances on which accountability
> depends, and have a deeply chilling effect on freedom of expression,
> information and association, without which the ideals of open government
> have no meaning.
> 
> 
> 
> As Brazil's President, Dilma Rousseff, recently said at the United
> Nations, "In the absence of the right to privacy, there can be no true
> freedom of expression and opinion, and therefore no effective democracy."
> 
> 
> 
> Activities that restrict the right to privacy, including communications
> surveillance, can only be justified when they are prescribed by law, are
> necessary to achieve a legitimate aim, and are proportionate to the aim
> pursued.# Without firm legislative and judicial checks on the
> surveillance powers of the executive branch, and robust protections for
> the media and public interest whistleblowers, abuses can and will occur.
> 
> 
> 
> We call on all OGP member governments to:
> 
>  recognise the need to update understandings of existing privacy and
> human rights law to reflect modern surveillance technologies and
> techniques.
> 
>  commit in their OGP Action Plans to complete by October 2014 a review
> of national laws, with the aim of defining reforms needed to regulate
> necessary, legitimate and proportional State involvement in
> communications surveillance; to guarantee freedom of the press; and to
> protect whistleblowers who lawfully reveal abuses of state power.
> 
>  commit in their OGP Action Plans to transparency on the mechanisms for
> surveillance, on exports of surveillance technologies, aid directed
> towards implementation of surveillance technologies, and agreements to
> share citizen data among states.
> 
> 
> 
> SIGNED:
> 
> 
> 
> Access Info Europe
> 
> Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre, Sri Lanka
> 
> Association EPAS, Romania
> 
> Center for Independent Journalism, Romania
> 
> *Centre for Law and Democracy, USA*
> 
> *Center for Public Interest Advocacy, Bosnia Herzegovina*
> 
> Independent Journalism Center, Moldova
> 
> Freedom of Information Center, Armenia
> 
> Freedom of Information Forum, Austria (FOIAustria)
> 
> Fundar, Center for Research and Analysis, Mexico
> 
> GESOC, Mexico
> 
> IEEPP, Nicaragua
> 
> Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria
> 
> MKSS, India
> 
> NATO Watch, UK
> 
> Obong Denis Udo-Inyang Foundation,Nigeria
> 
> Open Knowledge Foundation
> 
> Open Rights Group, UK
> 
> Privacy and Access Council of Canada  Conseil du Canada de lAccХs et
> la vie PrivИe
> 
> PROETICA PERU
> 
> Transparency International Armenia
> 
> World Wide Web Foundation
> 
> 
> 
> *Individuals*
> 
> Aruna Roy
> 
> Tim Berners-Lee
> 
> Vinod Rai, Former Comptroller and Auditor General, India
> 
> David Eaves
> 
> Dwight E. Hines, Ph.D
> 
> Nikhil Dey
> 
> Petru Botnaru, freelance journalist, Moldova
> 
> Satbir Singh, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and Co-Chair, South
> Asian Right to Information Advocates Network
> 
> Shankar Singh
> 
> Sowmya Kidambi
> 
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