PACE Adopts Draft Resolution on Mass Surveillance

A draft resolution accusing spying agencies of wasting resources on mass surveillance instead of more effective techniques to prevent terrorism was adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

STRASBOURG (Sputnik) – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted on Tuesday a draft resolution accusing spying agencies of wasting resources on mass surveillance instead of more effective techniques to prevent terrorism.

The resolution followed a debate on surveillance practices in the light of revelations by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

"The @CoE Assembly votes in favour of the resolution on 'Mass surveillance' by 132 votes to 4, with 9 abstentions," PACE said on Twitter.

The document states that PACE recognizes the need for "effective, targeted surveillance of suspected terrorists or their organized criminal groups."

Large-scale surveillance activities do not appear to have helped to prevent terrorist attacks, the resolution stresses.

"Instead, resources that might prevent attacks are diverted to mass surveillance, leaving potentially dangerous persons free to act," the document reads.

Earlier on Tuesday, Dutch lawmaker Pieter Omtzigt presented a report on mass surveillance to the PACE. The analysis was met with skepticism by the PACE Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media. The Committee lamented that the paper focused mainly on the classified data leaked by Edward Snowden.

Snowden, a former NSA contractor, started publishing classified documents revealing details of the service's covert mass surveillance programs in 2013 and then fled the United States. He currently resides in Russia. If extradited to his homeland, Snow could face up to 30 years in jail for stealing confidential data.