The UN Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism has called for a global declaration on data protection and data privacy. In its Annual Report, the UN Rapporteur stressed the need of an analytical framework for ensuring that any restrictions on privacy rights are necessary, proportionate and adequately regulated.

The report assesses the developments that have adversely affected the right to privacy in various parts of the world using the justification of combating terrorism. These include racial or ethnic profiling, creation of privacy-intrusive databases and resorting to new technology, such as body scanners, without proper human rights assessment. The UN Special Rapporteur dismisses the perception that in an all-encompassing process of "balancing" counter-terrorism always outweighs privacy.