“The US, UK and their close intelligence partners have largely failed in their efforts to water down a United Nations draft resolution expressing deep concern about “unlawful or arbitrary” surveillance and calling for protection for the privacy of citizens worldwide.”
The resolution, titled ‘The right to privacy in the digital age’, negotiated in open committee but co-sponsored by Brazil and Germany, “represents the biggest show of international opinion yet in response to the revelations about mass surveillance exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden.”
“Other sponsors include: Austria, Bolivia, North Korea, Ecuador, France, Indonesia, Lichtenstein, Peru, Switzerland, Spain, Luxembourg and Uruguay.”
Although some amendments were introduced, “the draft retains language which says the right to privacy should apply no matter the citizenship of the individual. US citizens currently have greater protections from NSA surveillance than foreign nationals.”
The draft resolution calls for the UN high commissioner for human rights to prepare a report on “the protection and promotion of the right to privacy in the context of domestic and extraterritorial surveillance and/or interception of digital communications and collection of personal data”.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/21/un-surveillance-resolution-us-uk-dilute-language