It’s outrageous to accuse the Guardian of aiding terrorism by publishing Snowden’s revelations | Ben Emmerson | Comment is free

It’s outrageous to accuse the Guardian of aiding terrorism by publishing Snowden’s revelations | Ben Emmerson | Comment is free | The Guardian
►http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/02/guardian-terrorism-snowden-alan-rusbridger-free-press

I have studied all the published stories that explain how new technology is leading to the mass collection and analysis of phone, email, social media and text message data; how the relationship between intelligence services and technology and telecoms companies is open to abuse; and how technological capabilities have moved ahead of the law. These issues are at the apex of public interest concerns.

It’s outrageous to accuse the Guardian of aiding terrorism by publishing Snowden’s revelations | Ben Emmerson | Comment is free | The Guardian
►http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/02/guardian-terrorism-snowden-alan-rusbridger-free-press

These questions are too important for the UN to ignore, and so on Tuesday I am launching an investigation that will culminate in a series of recommendations to the UN general assembly next autumn . As in the case of Chelsea Manning, there are also serious questions about sensitive information being freely available to so many people . The information Snowden had access to, which included top-secret UK intelligence documents, was available to more than 850,000 people, including Snowden – a contractor not even employed by the US government.

It’s outrageous to accuse the Guardian of aiding terrorism by publishing Snowden’s revelations | Ben Emmerson | Comment is free | The Guardian
►http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/02/guardian-terrorism-snowden-alan-rusbridger-free-press

Unlike the directors of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, who gave evidence recently before the intelligence and security committee, Rusbridger will not be provided with a list of questions in advance.

Edward Snowden revelations prompt UN investigation into surveillance
▻http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/02/edward-snowden-un-investigation-surveillance

The UN’s senior counter-terrorism official is to launch an investigation into the #surveillance powers of American and British intelligence agencies following Edward Snowden’s revelations that they are using secret programmes to store and analyse billions of emails, phone calls and text messages.

The UN special rapporteur Ben Emmerson QC said his inquiry would also seek to establish whether the British parliament had been misled about the capabilities of Britain’s eavesdropping headquarters, GCHQ, and whether the current system of oversight and scrutiny was strong enough to meet United Nations standards.

The inquiry will make a series of recommendations to the UN general assembly next year.

In an article for the Guardian ►http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/02/guardian-terrorism-snowden-alan-rusbridger-free-press, Emmerson said Snowden had disclosed “issues at the very apex of public interest concerns”. He said the media had a duty and right to publish stories about the activities of GCHQ and its American counterpart the National Security Agency.

“The astonishing suggestion that this sort of responsible journalism can somehow be equated with aiding and abetting terrorism needs to be scotched decisively,” said Emmerson, who has been the UN’s leading voice on counter-terrorism and human rights since 2011.