Privacy is eroding, rights group says

Individual privacy is under threat around the world as governments continue to introduce surveillance and information-gathering measures, according to an international rights group.

Although privacy is improving in the former communist states of Eastern Europe, it is worsening across Western Europe, London-based Privacy International said. Concerns about terrorism, immigration and border security are driving the spread of identity and fingerprinting systems, it said.

Greece, Romania and Canada had the best records of the 47 countries surveyed. Malaysia, Russia and China ranked the worst, but Britain and the U.S. also fell into the lowest-performing group of “endemic surveillance societies.” The survey considered factors such as legal protections, data sharing, the use of biometrics and the prevalence of closed-circuit cameras.