Wikimedia's Jimmy Wales on NSA lawsuit

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales says the U.S. National Security Agency, or NSA., is breaking the law and violating the constitution.

Wikimedia, the foundation that runs Wikipedia, has now launched a lawsuit against the NSA, along with others such as Human Rights Watch and PEN.

The evidence they will be using in court is based on top-secret information leaked previously by Edward Snowden.

Jimmy Wales tells As It Happens host Carol Off about the nature of the data collection conducted by the NSA: "​It's what's called upstream surveillance, which means they are collecting data not directly from our servers but from various points on the internet backbone. They are collecting data, effectively, on everyone who is reading Wikipedia."

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Explaining why this is a global human rights issue, he says: "If people in difficult places are afraid of their own security services, they are afraid to write the truth...they'll be more afraid if they are concerned that the U.S. may be passing information along to whichever faction the U.S. happens to be supporting."

Jimmy Wales adds: "Wikipedia is written by volunteers all around the world, ordinary people just like you and me...so these volunteers are just working from their homes and can be quite vulnerable if they fear that they are being spied on while they're working on Wikipedia."

Carol acknowledges there is also a debate currently happening in Canada, where there appears to be a high level of public tolerance about government surveillance, because it's perceived to be necessary for our own security.

Wales responds: "I don't think there's a high level of public tolerance...I think there's a high level of public apathy, but that is rapidly eroding...people are very concerned about who's looking at their data."

The NSA and US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.