[caption id="attachment_28344" align="alignright" width="207"] Iran's police chief Brigadier General Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam[/caption]

TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iran's Police Chief Brigadier General Esmaeil Ahmadi Moqaddam on Wednesday rapped Western countries over violating the privacy of their citizens, saying that such an approach is not acceptable in Iran.
�Referring to the "intelligence-based" approach adopted by the police in Western countries following the September 11 attack, Ahmadi Moqaddam condemned the violation of Western citizens' privacy in the name of ensuring security.



People�s security was announced to be prior to their consent, and under such a pretext, Western police forces dared to wiretap people�s conversations, Iranian police chief explained in a national security conference in Tehran.

�We would never accept such an intelligence-based approach adopted by Western countries,� he stressed.

Western spying agencies have escalated their surveillance programs in recent years following the 9/11 attacks in the US.

US President Barack Obama in 2013 signed into law a bill that allows government agencies to wiretap Americans without a warrant. This raised serious concern about citizens� privacy and constitutional rights.

Rights groups, activists and others have also voiced their concerns about the law, stating that it adds to a trend since 9/11 that has stripped citizens their civil rights in the name of national security.

In a similar vein, the current National Defense Authorization Act gives the government the power to indefinitely detain US citizens without trial if certain conditions are met.

By Tasnim News Agency