[Ecommerce] Big Brother directive adopted today

[Manon Ress]

Today the Eu adopted the 'Big Brother Directive", ignoring the
industry and civil society.
The directive passed with 378 for and 197 against.

More at:

- Vue d'ensemble recto-verso des cons=E9quences des principaux
amendements
     http://www.ffii.org/~jmaebe/dataret/plen1/summary.pdf
- Flux vid=E9o en anglais de la session pl=E9ni=E8re d'aujourd'hui (au form=
at
Windows Media)
     http://media.vrijschrift.org/ep_vote_datared_051214_en.wmv
- Flux vid=E9o en VO de la session pl=E9ni=E8re d'aujourd'hui (au format
Windows Media)
     http://media.vrijschrift.org/ep_vote_datared_051214_or.wmv
- Conservation de donn=E9es : l'usine =E0 gaz s'emballe
     http://wiki.ffii.org/DataRet0512En
- Actualit=E9s, prises de position et analyses sur le contenu de la
directive
     http://wiki.dataretentionisnosolution.com
- Pr=E9c=E9dents communiqu=E9s de presse de la FFII
     http://www.ffii.fr/-Communiques-de-presse-
URL of press relaease
- http://www.ffii.fr/article211.html

See also FFII warning on Dec 5:

[ FFII position on data retention directive | EU law-making process
cracking under pressure ] [ fran=E7ais | portugu=EAs | magyar ]

5 December 2005 (Brussels, Belgium) The EU is passing a "Big Brother"
law to track every electronic communication, warns the FFII, an
international information rights group based in Munich.

"Imagine a world in which the state follows everything you do. A
world where computers watch every step you make. A world in which
privacy is dead and the machines can track down every dissident in
minutes. A world ruled by unelected agencies, working hand-in-hand
with powerful commercial interests. A world in which citizens have no
rights except to consume. Science fiction? The Age of the Machines?
No, this is Europe, coming to you in 2006."

So warns Pieter Hintjens, president of the FFII. He says, "the EU is
about to pass a directive to track every communication you make. This
law makes the old Soviet spy states look like amateurs."

He continues "This law goes against our European traditions of civil
liberty. It appears to break Article 8 of the European Convention on
Human Rights. It will destroy small ISPs and raise prices. To enforce
it, the EU will have to shut or monitor every cybercafe, web mail
access, and wifi hotspot. Such a regime would be more authoritarian
even than China. Even the US, after 9/11, does not have such
oppressive laws. The EU does not need this law: it is a bad law,
pushed through without respect for the democratic process."

Erik Josefsson of the FFII says: "We are entering into an era of 'I
don't have time' legislation. With the expanded competence of the
Commission (see consequences of the ECJ Judgement September 13, case
c-176/03 Commission v. Council), the underarmed and weakened
Parliament stands no chance to do its job properly. The 'sausage
machine' is far too easy to abuse."

The Big Brother "data retention directive" makes Internet and
telephony providers record "communications traffic data" for up to
several years. These huge amounts of detailed personal data can be
easily leaked, stolen, and abused. The forces - mainly the UK
government - pushing the Big Brother law claim it will prevent
terrorism. The FFII does not accept this simplistic argument. The
real targets, it appears, are ordinary citizens, going about their
daily business.

The FFII president points out, "almost everyone carries a mobile
phone. With this law, your mobile phone and web browser becomes Big
Brother's way of watching you. You will never be alone again. If you
do not like this idea, contact your MEP today, urgently, and explain
why it worries you. On 13 December 2005, personal privacy becomes
history."

Background Information

FFII endorses Open Letter to the European Parliament on Data Retention
News, position papers on and analysis of the content of the directive
How Parliament is denied a chance to properly evaluate the directive
Procedural overview of the directive
MEP contact guide
Contact Information

Erik Josefsson
FFII Brussels Permanent representative
ehj @ ffii.org
+32-484-082063

About the FFII -- http://www.ffii.org

The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) is a non-
profit association registered in several European countries, which is
dedicated to the spread of data processing literacy. FFII supports
the development of public information goods based on copyright, free
competition, open standards. More than 850 members, 3,000 companies
and 90,000 supporters have entrusted the FFII to act as their voice
in public policy questions concerning exclusion rights (intellectual
property) in data processing.


************************************************
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

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