14 DAY TRIAL // It’s not only activists, tech companies and regular Internet users that are opposed to mass surveillance, but also writers.
Over 500 renowned authors, including five Nobel laureates from all over the world, have taken the time to sign a petition demanding the end of mass surveillance following revelations based on Edward Snowden’s leaked files.
The petition they created can be signed by anyone over at Change.org and it’s called “A Stand for Democracy in the Digital Age.” It already has over 15,000 signatures and it’s getting more by the minute.
The impressive list includes, as mentioned, 5 Nobel Prize Winners – Orhan Pamuk, J.M. Coetzee, Elfriede Jelinek, Günter Grass and Tomas Tranströmer – but also names such as Umberto Eco, Margaret Atwood, Björk and many more.
“The basic pillar of democracy is the inviolable integrity of the individual. Human integrity extends beyond the physical body. In their thoughts and in their personal environments and communications, all humans have the right to remain unobserved and unmolested,” the petition reads.
“This fundamental human right has been rendered null and void through abuse of technological developments by states and corporations for mass surveillance purposes. A person under surveillance is no longer free; a society under surveillance is no longer a democracy. To maintain any validity, our democratic rights must apply in virtual as in real space,” the message continues.
The writers demand the right for all people to determine to what extent their personal data may be collected, stored and processed, and by whom. Citizens should also be able to obtain information on where their data is stored and how it’s being used, as well as the deletion of their individual data if it has been illegally collected and stored.
The petition also calls on all states and corporations to respect these rights and on citizens to stand up and defend them. The United Nations is also mentioned and asked to acknowledge the central importance of protecting civil rights in the digital age and to create an International Bill of Digital Rights. The governments of the world are asked to sign and adhere to such a convention.
Yesterday, eight tech giants sent out an open letter demanding the reform of the surveillance mechanism and calling for more oversight.