UN: Online Privacy Now Considered a Human Right

[bananas]

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/UN-Online-Privacy-Now-Considered-a-Human-Right-127370

UN: Online Privacy Now Considered a Human Right
by Karl Bode 08:36AM Friday Jan 17 2014

The United Nations has unanimously voted to adopt a resolution calling for online privacy to be recognized as a human right, a recent resolution extending the general human right of privacy to the online world. With a clear eye on recent Snowden revelations in the States, the resolution calls on countries "to establish or maintain existing independent, effective domestic oversight mechanisms capable of ensuring transparency, as appropriate, and accountability for State surveillance of communications." Of course since resolutions aren't binding, the UN's recommendations can and will likely be ignored by most UN member countries.

[bananas]

1. United Nations Names Online Privacy That You Probably Don’t Have As A Universal Human Right

http://consumerist.com/2014/01/17/united-nations-names-online-privacy-that-you-probably-dont-have-as-a-universal-human-right/

United Nations Names Online Privacy That You Probably Don’t Have As A Universal Human Right
By Kate Cox January 17, 2014

Online privacy: it’s a contentious ground between corporations and consumers, a troubled 21st century frontier of expectations, and, apparently, a universal human right.

As we read via Broadband DSL Reports, the United Nations recently adopted a resolution calling out online privacy as a universal human right. The resolution (PDF) expands the UN’s existing stance on privacy to include the digital realm.

The current iteration of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights enumerates 29 general areas of universal rights. The list not only includes topics like freedoms of thought and expression, but also the rights to employment and to education, condemnations of slavery and torture, and the right to privacy, which is explicitly recognized in Article 12.

Article 12 begins, “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence,” and affirms the right to the protection of the law from any such interference.

<snip>

[Igel]

8. Primarily to be used as a cudgel against others.

Few will worry about how it applies to their country. That's really not the point.

The law isn't written for the just, and nobody counts himself among the wicked. While some UN resolutions are just, "Let's take a stand on some issue," most of them are "Let's be judgmental but mask it in a way that is both crystal clear and let's us claim to be high-minded."

So France likes the idea of employment as a human right that must be observed. Except they have a very high unemployment rate. They're most interested in it when their unemployment is low; when theirs soars, it's not such a big deal.

Russia likes the idea of privacy and freedom of speech as a human right that must be observed. When there's a scandal in the US, full on "it's essential"; when they're under the gun, ah, well, perhaps in the bright, shining future.

Countries with incredible levels of failure to finish high school and low college attendance rates insist on education's being a human right. Which apparently some other humans have to provide to their citizens, because they aren't going to. Of course, when there's a scandal showing their leadership absconded with $400 million, suddenly it's less urgent because the "human right" might make them look bad.

[Ghost Dog]

9. Let the UN have teeth. Let it tax and spend,

conjoin and coerce, reward and punish.

But make it respond to bottom-up, directly participatory democratic social forces.

[Ghost Dog]

2. It would be useful, I suggest, were a unanimous or qualified majority vote in the General Assembly

to be allowed to over-rule the Security Council and its vetoes...

At least on non-bellicose topics... But please don't let me nudge this thread too far off-topic.

I do note the wording "transparency, as appropriate" in the OP.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. So, tht brings the total of UN Resolutions we ignore

up to...how many is it now?

[JDPriestly]

4. For those who are interested in finding out how the US really fares in terms of privacy protections

on the internet, here is the press conference by Binney, Tice, etc. that followed Obama's speech on the NSA surveillance.

http://new.livestream.com/accuracy/nsa-rebuttal/videos/39824993

[cinnabonbon]

6. Thanks for the link nt

[JDPriestly]

5. K&R.

[djean111]

7. Well, in the very unlikely event that we all should be given online privacy (:-O)

looks like losing net neutrality can just keep us from using the net so freely in the first place.

[Jefferson23]

10. Recommend, thanks bananas. n/t

[Progressive dog]

11. Syria, Somalia, Russia, China, Cuba, etc.

all voted for online privacy in a meaningless display of hypocrisy.

[jsr]

12. Recommend