<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <title>Avaaz.org - The World in Action</title> <meta name="Description" content="Join with people around the world in taking action on pressing global issues." /> <meta name="Keywords" content="Global Political Action, Politics, Global Politics, Climate Change" /> </head> <body> Dear friends, <table align="right" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="220" style="margin-left: 15px;"><tr><td style="border:1px solid #000;padding:10px;"><a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/en/hrc_privacy_sr_11/?bnKZdjb&v=54345"><img src="http://avaaz_images.s3.amazonaws.com/14615_bigbro_3_200x100.jpg" width="200" border="0" /></a> Our right to privacy has never had serious international protection, but the UN Human Rights Council meets on Monday and will consider appointing an independent expert to put our government's activities under scrutiny. Click now to give Big Brother a babysitter: <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/en/hrc_privacy_sr_11/?bnKZdjb&v=54345"><img src="https://avaazdesign.s3.amazonaws.com/button_signthepetition_new_en.png" width="200" alt="SIGN THE PETITION" /></a></div></td></tr></table>A movie about Edward Snowden just won best documentary at this year's Oscars -- and right now we have a rare chance to score another huge, global victory for protecting our privacy when the next Human Rights Council session starts on Monday. Germany and Brazil are pushing to appoint an independent expert on the right to privacy to investigate the activities of governments -- and report the results publicly. Governments go to great lengths to avoid being investigated by these experts, and they've successfully shifted debate in other fields, including torture -- it's just what we need to ensure our right to privacy is enforced and respected. Our governments have spied on us with impunity, passing secretive laws and storing our personal communications; it's time to turn the tables and give our Big Brother states a babysitter. So click now and back the supporters with a million-strong international call delivered straight into the meeting room: <a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/en/hrc_privacy_sr_11/?bnKZdjb&v=54345">https://secure.avaaz.org/en/hrc_privacy_sr_11/?bnKZdjb&v=54345</a> As Snowden just wrote, "We can't just reform the laws in one country, wipe our hands, and call it a day. We have to ensure that our rights aren't just being protected by letters on a sheet of paper somewhere, or those protections will evaporate the minute our communications get routed across a border. The only way to ensure the human rights of citizens around the world are being respected in the digital realm is to enforce them through systems and standards rather than policies and procedures." The creation of this expert position - a Special Rapporteur - on privacy would do just that, putting international emphasis on privacy for the first time. While our governments are full of excuses for why they should violate our privacy, a Special Rapporteur wouldn't exist simply to stop them, but to make sure that the reasons they give and the way they implement policies are in line with our fundamental rights. The UN General Assembly has already urged the Human Rights Council to create the position but the "Five Eyes" -- the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada -- are ready to fight. But if a majority of the 47 countries on the Human Rights Council will stand up to them, there's nothing they can do. So click now to call on the Council -- it's time to give Big Brother a babysitter: <a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/en/hrc_privacy_sr_11/?bnKZdjb&v=54345">https://secure.avaaz.org/en/hrc_privacy_sr_11/?bnKZdjb&v=54345</a> With hope, Danny, Nataliya, and the rest of the Avaaz team MORE INFORMATION New UN resolution shifts momentum on privacy to Human Rights Council (Access Now), <a href="https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2014/11/26/new-un-resolution-shifts-momentum-on-privacy-to-human-rights-council">https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2014/11/26/new-un-resolution-shifts-momentum-on-privacy-to-human-righ...</a> Establish a UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy (Article 19), <a href="http://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/37842/en/establish-a-un-special-rapporteur-on-the-right-to-privacy">http://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/37842/en/establish-a-un-special-rapporteur-on-the-ri...</a> <img src="http://open.avaaz.org/act/open/6888778736.gif" border="0" /> <table align="center" bgcolor="#F0F0F0" width="100%" frame="hsides" style="padding:16px;"> <tr> <td>Support the Avaaz Community!</td> </tr> <tr> <td>We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. 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