Purpose and Members

The Reform Government Surveillance coalition (RGS) believes that the world’s governments must address and reform the laws and practices regulating government surveillance of individuals and access to their information.

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We understand that governments need to protect their citizens’ safety and security, and that obtaining electronic data is often a key part of such efforts. At the same time, our users around the world expect us to protect the privacy and security of their data.

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RGS therefore strongly believes that current surveillance laws and practices must be reformed. Government surveillance must be consistent with established global norms of privacy, free expression, security, and the rule of law. Government law enforcement and intelligence efforts should be rule-bound, narrowly tailored, transparent, and subject to strong oversight.

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Accordingly, RGS calls on governments to adhere to these principles when conducting surveillance. We will advocate for reforms that would put these principles into action.