United Nations Names Online Privacy as a Universal Human Right

Online privacy, the focus of a hotly debated and controversial fight between governments, corporations and citizens worldwide, is now a universal human right. The United Nations unanimously voted today to adopt a resolution calling for “Online Privacy” to be recognized as a human right, extending the general human right of privacy to the online world.

Although a little late in the game, this is definitely a step in the right direction when it comes to the online privacy and mass surveillance debate. And while this one UN resolution won’t necessarily change the world, it clearly illustrates that global leaders understand the need to protect their citizens who are spending more time, and sharing more data online than ever before.

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.” UN resolutions and findings are non-binding on member states.