UNESCO report: surveillance and data collection are putting journalists and sources at risk
On World Press Freedom Day, the outlook for the protection of sources is gloomy, argues Julie Posetti in a crossposting from The Conversation
The ability of journalists to report without fear is under threat from mass surveillance and data retention. 
Released this week, my UNSECO report Protecting Journalism Sources in the Digital Age shows that laws protecting journalists and sources globally are not keeping up with the challenges posed by indiscriminate data collection and the spill-over effects of anti-terrorism and national security legislation.
Examining legal changes to how sources are protected across 121 countries between 2007-2015, I found that calls, text messages, and emails made in the process of reporting are increasingly exposed. In particular, they can be caught up in the nets of law enforcement and national security agencies as they trawl for evidence of criminal activity and terrorism, and conduct leak investigations.
Source protection laws should be updated to protect the online communications of journalists and whistleblowers.
