MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Amnesty International has joined the appeal, calling on the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg to put an end to mass surveillance in the United Kingdom, calling it a serious threat to human rights.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Privacy International have stated earlier on Monday that the ECHR would hear a case brought by watchdogs against UK surveillance laws.
"Today we're joining other international NGOs including the American Civil Liberties Union, Liberty, and Privacy International at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg. We are there to call an end to the UK government’s mass surveillance and unregulated data sharing," Amnesty International said in a statement.
According to the organization, mass surveillance is "a major threat to human rights."
Landmark UK #surveillance case to be heard in #Strasbourg tomorrow https://t.co/oZm0fCd91a
— Amnesty Ireland (@AmnestyIreland) 6 ноября 2017 г.
The lawsuit in question is an appeal of 2014 decision by the UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which ruled that UK Government Communications Headquarters' (GCHQ) practices, including interception of private communications, could be compliant with the UK human rights obligations in principle.
In 2013, former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden revealed the existence of Tempora, a secret system allowing the UK intelligence agency access to a large amount of personal data via optical fiber cables.
