UN Report Finds NSA Mass Surveillance Likely Violated Human Rights

An anonymous reader writes A top United Nations human rights official released a report Wednesday that blasts the United States' mass surveillance programs for potentially violating human rights on a worldwide scale. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also praised whistleblower Edward Snowden and condemned U.S. efforts to prosecute him. "Those who disclose human rights violations should be protected," she said. "We need them." In particular, the surveillance programs violate Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Comments

Agreed.

[Anonymous Coward]

The single greatest evil that mankind ever unleashed upon the world was a corrupt government.

We need more people like Snowden. And when they pop up, we should step up and defend them.

(Of course, all *I* am brave enough to do is post an AC comment on a geek forum....but....maybe somebody else will be brave enough to do what needs to be done).

Re:Agreed.

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

To agents in the NSA: It doesn't matter if 999 of 1000 of you are honest. All it takes is one G. Gordon Liddy type who ignores requirements for warrants to listen in on political opponents, and the whole thing is worthless. Possibly that is also the real intent, easy obfuscation of ultimate corruption.

Known historical democracies collapse when they "temporarily" give emergency powers to someone. Greece, Rome, Germany 80 years ago.

And you're participating in this modern panopticon as a rube while someone, maybe next to you, spies for a party or powerful faction.

Re:So now that the UN said it,

[Anonymous Coward]

No. That means that the UN is now a terrorist organization and US will no longer give a shit about resolutions passed by it.

Re:So now that the UN said it,

[Anonymous Coward]

Remember when the UN complained about Guantanamo Bay? Well, this is similar.

Re:The U.N. Finds...

[Anonymous Coward]

And not a single flying fuck was given. U.N., what a joke...

Ah, the typical asshole American response.

The US helped form the UN. The US alternates between using the UN to further own ends, and decrying the UN if people refuse to blindly follow what the US wants.

Face it, the US has actively become the enemies of human rights and liberties over the last bunch of years.

The fact that you're a bunch of whiny, self-entitled cock-suckers who think you run the world is your problem.

The UN is a framework for countries to try to resolve issues diplomatically. Yes, it can be ineffective as blocs of countries drag their heels on stuff. But it's all we've got.

The US talks about international justice, but refuses to be a signatory to the ICC -- so that they can continue to commit war crimes and answer to nobody.

Fuck America. Fuck you.

You've become a banana republic with delusions of being the champions of rights and freedoms.

What a deluded bunch of assholes.

Re:So now that the UN said it,

[JMJimmy]

No, it just means that your country has more in common with countries like Iran or Soviet era Russia than you'd like to admit.

Did you know that the US is one of only 3 countries that haven't ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child? The other two are Somalia and South Sudan.

Re:So now that the UN said it,

[Anonymous Coward]

No, it just means that your country has more in common with countries like Iran or Soviet era Russia than you'd like to admit.

You haven't seen my anti-US-government rants, have you?

These days the U.S. Constitution would count as an anti-US-government rant so that's not exactly a distinguishing feature.