U.S.-China Surveillance

Privacy International’s 2007 annual report ranking privacy in the major nations of the world now classifies the U.S. as an “endemic surveillance society,” putting it in the same company with eight other countries, including Russia, China, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and the UK. The U.S. was one of 14 nation states in which surveillance grew significantly. The U.S.’s numerical ranking was 1.5 on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 reflecting the strongest privacy protections. This puts it 2 tenths of a point from China, which, along with Russia and Malaysia, ranked at the bottom with a score of 1.3. The numerical scores are based on 14 privacy dimensions, including workplace monitoring, visual surveillance, constitutional protection and statutory protection (individual laws). China actually scored better than the US in statutory protections for privacy and two other dimensions. See the full report for details.