State surveillance boom sparked by fear-mongering political populists, says UN

Special Rapporteur calls for privacy as a right, but also for International Data Warrants

The United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy has heavily criticised new surveillance laws in France, Germany, the UK and the USA, saying they are "predicated on the " disproportionate though understandable fear that electorates may have in the face of the threat of terrorism" but are informed by "little or no evidence" of their "efficacy or " proportionality"."