Blogs

March 27, 2003 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards

Restrictions on cryptography in Spain

A proposal to modify the Spanish telecommunication law threatens the free use of cryptography. The current General Law of Telecommunications (Ley General de Telecomunicaciones (LGT) already puts some restrictions on the use of cryptography. The second part of article 52 (‘Cifrado en las redes y servicios de telecomunicaciones’, that is, network encryption and telecommunication services) […]

March 27, 2003 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Surveillance and data retention

UK home office not amused with big brother award

Yesterday, Privacy International announced the winners of the 5th Annual UK ‘Big Brother’ awards to the government and private sector organisations that have done the most to invade personal privacy in Britain. Winner of the award for worst public servant is London Mayor Ken Livingstone, for his efforts in transport surveillance. Prime Minister Tony Blair […]

March 12, 2003 · Blogs

EDRI-gram – Number 4, 12 March 2003

March 12, 2003 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards

EU row over airline passenger data transmission

The Commission’s secret talks with U.S. authorities on the transmission of air passenger data have caused a heavy clash between EU institutions. The Security spokesperson of the EP conservative fraction, the Austrian Hubert Pirker, announced today his fraction will take the Commission to the European Court of Justice. Since 5 March U.S. authorities have access […]

March 12, 2003 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Freedom of expression online

Petition against copyright law in Italy

On 9 March the Italian Associazione Software Libero opened an on-line petition against the proposed implementation of the European Copyright Directive. The petition is an open letter to the Culture Committee of the Lower House, inviting them to reconsider their almost unanimous approval of the copyright law on 25 February 2003. Like in most other […]

March 12, 2003 · Blogs | Transparency

Finland changes policy on software patents

Anticipating the new EU Directive on Patents, the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (PRH) decided to accept patents on software. Before, the Fins were a lot stricter than the European Patent Office. The reason for the change in policy is mind-boggling. Because the European Parliament seems to propose much more unpermissive rules […]

March 12, 2003 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Surveillance and data retention

Limiting the storage of traffic data

The European data commissioners (through the Article 29 working group) have pleaded for a maximum storage period of half a year for traffic data that telecommunication companies store for billing purposes. With the opinion paper the working group tries to limit the duration and scope of traffic data storage. “Traffic data should be kept for […]

March 12, 2003 · Blogs | Data protection standards

Update on anti-spam legislation

In the previous EDRI-gram 6 EU-countries were mentioned that already have a spam-ban, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Greece, Italy and Austria, plus Hungary and Norway in Europe-at-large. We can now add France, Romania and Poland to this list. French E-Commerce Directive (approved 26.02.2003 in the Lower House) http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/ta/ta0089-2.pdf Polish E-commerce Directive (effective 10.03.2003) http://www.giodo.gov.pl/English/ust_podpis_el.htm Romanian E-commerce […]

March 12, 2003 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Surveillance and data retention

Call for public views on video-surveillance

The European data protection commissioners, united in the Article 29 Working Party, invite the public to respond to a position paper about videosurveillance. The paper gives an interesting overview of the differences in legislation and measures adopted in the different member states since the transposition of the Privacy Directive (95/46/EC). The Commissioners are specifically worried […]

March 12, 2003 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Freedom of expression online

Censoring the internet: the situation in Turkey

‘Turkey, showing the symptoms of a developing country, has not yet established the jurisprudence necessary for the Internet. The existing Turkish laws, especially the Press Law, are naively applied to alleged lawbreakers on the Internet, resulting in ludicrous outcomes.’ Paper about internet censorship in Turkey by Kemal Altintas, Tolga Aydin and Varol Akman published 10 […]

February 26, 2003 · Blogs

EDRI-gram – Number 3, 26 February 2003

February 26, 2003 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards

Data-retention scandal in Ireland

Ireland has had a secret data retention regime for almost a year, after the Cabinet confidentially instructed telecommunications operators to store traffic information about every phone, fax and mobile call for at least three years. The Irish Data Protection Commissioner Joe Meade revealed this last monday at a forum on data retention. Telcos even used […]