It has been one year since the first Snowden disclosure and in lieu of this first anniversary, world privacy expert and publisher of The Privacy Surgeon, Simon Davies, conceived and published a report titled “A Crisis of Accountability: A global analysis of the impact of the Snowden revelations.”  The report includes contributions from individual countries, summarizing the extent to which the Snowden revelations have produced tangible changes.  Additionally, the analysis discusses what needs to happen, moving forward, to enact substantial change in light of these disclosures.

With 29 countries from all over the globe included in the analysis, Davies’ report reveals that the majority of countries represented did not see substantial changes in governmental reforms since June 2013.  According to the report, “media coverage of the relevant issues has declined globally to less than two percent of the initial traffic of a year ago—and continues to diminish.” This is a valid concern considering that decreased media coverage often results in reduced public awareness. The report also brings to light subjects with which we still are in the dark about, including the inter-operational workings between governments, security agencies, and organizations around the world. 

However, listed in the report are some positive outcomes of this past year, notably the fact that globally, we’ve seen increased “‘activity’ in the form of diplomatic representations, parliamentary inquiries, media coverage, campaign strategies, draft legislation and industry initiatives.”  Additionally, while much of the analysis in the report claims that this past year has seen minimal, if any, change, many contributors are optimistic that since the Snowden disclosures an “additional foundation stone may have been laid in some countries that will enable tangible reform.”

Find the full report here. To read Simon Davies’ own analysis of the report, click here.