A bus in Washington DC has is displaying an advert showing support for the former National Security Agency analyst-turned leaker, Edward Snowden.
It is part of a campaign in the run-up to the re-opening of the US Congress in January.
Anger at security surveillance practices have spurred on activists and diplomats alike to call a halt to what they see as an invasion of privacy.
Carl Messineo from Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, the organisation behind the bus campaign explained:
“It’s time to stop the NSA from seizing and searching my emails, my gmail, logging my telephone calls. I never signed up for this. The US citizenry does not want this. And I want the people who see the bus to know that there are millions of others thinking the exact same thing.”
Meanwhile a United Nations committee has adopted a resolution to protect the right to privacy against unlawful surveillance. It follows reports that the US eavesdropped on foreign leaders including those of Brazil and Germany.
“For the first time in the framework of the United Nations, this resolution unequivocally states that the same rights that people have off-line must also be protected online,” said Peter Wittig, Germany’s Ambassador to the United Nations as he addressed the UN’s Human Rights Committee.
Edward Snowden has been granted limited asylum in Russia after leaking information about the NSA’s surveillance activities. His revelations have won him support both in the US and abroad.
The UN’s resolution is expected to be adopted by the General Assembly next month.
