MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In February, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy Joseph Cannataci wrote in a report that a number of states, including the world's leading democracies, have used modern digital technology for opportunistic surveillance as well as actively discouraging UN work to establish safeguards against privacy intrusions.
"Right now we are living in the golden age of surveillance. This is not a claim from me, this is from the NSA's own classified top secret slides, and they are right. The UN is affirming in this judgment that this is right and government recognize this, not matter how many times they say it's getting harder for us to investigate things, we are losing track of people, it has never been easier than it is today," Snowden said during a video link at the CeBit technology conference in Hanover.
The UN report indicates that states do not want to solve the problem of unfettered surveillance, which is out of proportion to any threats it could possible address, he added.
In 2013, Snowden leaked classified documents pertaining to mass surveillance practices carried out by US authorities around the globe. The same year, Russia granted the whistleblower temporary asylum for one year. In 2014, Snowden received a three-year residence permit to live in Russia, which was later extended until 2020.
On March 4, Trump said on Twitter that Obama had ordered his wires tapped before the November election. Trump said he had asked appropriate congressional committees to investigate the issue.
