U.N. Urges Protection of Privacy in Digital Era

The United Nations adopted a resolution on Tuesday urging all countries to protect the right to privacy in digital communications and to offer their citizens a way to seek "remedy" if their privacy is violated.

Though not legally binding, the resolution signaled growing international attention to the issue of digital privacy, which it described as a human right.

The measure passed by consensus in the General Assembly's human rights committee, which meant that it was not put up for a vote. But it was a result of intense closed-door negotiations, and it set the stage for a showdown in Geneva next spring, when the issue is expected to go to the Human Rights Council. Privacy advocates are pushing for the United Nations to establish a special envoy.

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