U.S. Ranks Near Bottom Of World Privacy List

January 2, 2008 11:19 a.m. EST

London, England (AHN) - The U.S. ranked near the bottom of countries when it came to protecting privacy, an advocacy group said. America, joined by Great Britain, were deemed "endemic surveillance societies," according to Privacy International.

America was slammed because of actions by the Bush administration, including warrantless wiretaps and surveillance aimed at preventing terrorism. The group also said Democratic control of Congress has made little difference in its opinion of the government's privacy protections.

The organization ranked China, Russia and Malaysia as the worst of 47 countries surveyed. The group said while Germany and Canada still stand out for their support of personal privacy, even those countries are "sinking into the mire," according to the report released.