Comparison between US and European anti-terror policies

In a report titled ” Threatening the Open Society: Comparing Anti-terror
Policies and Strategies in the U.S. and Europe” and released on 13 December
2005, Privacy International compared the anti-terrorism approaches in the
U.S. with those in Europe. The report finds that on every policy involving
mass surveillance of its citizens, the EU is prepared to go well beyond what
the U.S. Government finds acceptable, and violates the privacy of citizens.

The report is highlighting the differences between EU and US in terms of
access to communications data, retention of communications transactions
data, data profiling and data mining, access to passenger reservation files
and biometric registration and is concluding that in each case the EU is
implementing surveillance powers well beyond those in U.S., and with far
less openness and debate over these measures.

According to Privacy International’s Senior Fellow Dr. Gus Hosein:
“It is no surprise that governments introduce harsh laws after terrorist
attacks. But what is surprising when you compare the surveillance laws in
Europe and the U.S. you find that the EU always goes further. The EU plans
to fingerprint all of its citizens, monitor all communications transactions,
surveillance all movement and travel. All these policies have been rejected
by the U.S. but are now law in Europe. The EU and some of its member states
may paint the U.S. as a monster when it comes to anti-terror powers and
civil liberties but they need to look into the mirror every now and then.”

Report” Threatening the Open Society: Comparing Anti-terror Policies and
Strategies in the U.S. and Europe” ( 13.12.2005)
http://www.privacyinternational.org/comparativeterrorpowers