“I fear that the big players in the game will not accept this,” Franz Obermayr said, mentioning the United States, China, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland in particular. He explained that "the big players have a lot of information, a lot of things to hide."
Obermayr stressed the importance of protecting whistleblowers as they were the ones who reveal sensitive information.
“In our time, it is necessary to protect whistleblowers because otherwise, the forces standing behind the systems have a monopoly position. So it is important to have that simple human responsible person to talk about the information,” Obermayr said.
Snowden has been residing in Russia since the summer of 2013, after the United States revoked his passport and initiated steps for his extradition on espionage charges.
The United Nations stepped up its efforts to curb illegal surveillance three months ago by appointing its first special rapporteur on the right to privacy, with a mandate to recommend measures to ensure the promotion and protection of this right at both international and national levels.