Intelligence, security and privacy – why we need the whistleblowers | Amnesty's global human rights blog
Intelligence, security and privacy – why we need the whistleblowers | Amnesty's global human rights blog:
The questions came fast and sharp as the 2014 Stockholm Internet Forum (#SIF14) kicked off yesterday.
Given that the theme of this year’s conference is “Internet — privacy, transparency, surveillance and control”, why was Edward Snowden not invited? The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ response, that there were limited places for participants and that they had to ensure gender diversity, did not cut the mustard with participants, judging by comments on Twitter and in the hallways.
One of the most surprising things since Edward Snowden started his revelations nearly a year ago is that there haven’t been significant disclosures about surveillance practices elsewhere in the world. The USA’s NSA, Britain’s GCHQ and the rest of the “Five Eyes Alliance” spy agencies cannot be the only ones engaging in mass surveillance, but we’ve seen very little about other countries’ practices. This only highlights the incredible risk involved in exposing the unlawful practices of security agencies, even in countries that consider themselves democratic.
The
theme of this year’s Stockholm Internet Forum is “Internet — privacy,
transparency, surveillance and control”. © Stockholm Internet Forum
