Tag: Business & Human Rights

Update: SMS finally unblocked in Central African Republic

On July 14th, the European Union and the United States kicked off the sixth round of negotiations of what could be the world’s largest trade pact — the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The negotiations, which have been taking place for more than a year, are about opening markets on both sides of the Atlantic for exchange in goods, services, investment, and public procurement.

This past March, people from all over the world gathered in San Francisco for RightsCon. Access’ annual conference brings together activists, corporate leaders, programmers, representatives from various governments, and experts in law and policy working on a range of issues at the intersection of technology and human rights.

A report by the top UN human rights authority condemns government surveillance practices for the “lack of accountability for arbitrary or unlawful interference in the right to privacy.”

Access Senior Policy Counsel Peter Micek questioned the company on transparency reports, surveillance, and sweeping data retention legislation making its way rapidly through the UK Parliament.

In a scathing new report, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warns that mass surveillance is “emerging as a dangerous habit rather than an exceptional measure” and that “the very existence of a mass surveillance programme…creates an interference with privacy.” The commissioner also slams judicial review processes, writing that in many countries they “amounted…to an exercise in rubber-stamping.”

On July 9th, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, its very highest body and one of the top human rights courts in the world, held a hearing on the landmark case of Delfi, an Estonian news outlet held liable for comments posted by users.

From the 10th to the 13th of June, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held the capstone event of its ten year review, the WSIS+10 High Level Event. Two important documents were endorsed at this event, a statement on the implementation of the WSIS Outcomes enshrined in the 2005 Tunis Agenda, and a second document articulating a vision beyond 2015.

Despite vocal and active campaigns by internet users in Mexico and around the world, the Mexican Congress approved a dangerous telecoms bill that increases surveillance and data retention while sanctioning mobile network shutdowns.

In the U.S., where Verizon has more than 100 million customers, the company continues to receive tens of thousands of government requests for user data every month, according to its latest transparency report.