Swiss Big Brother Awards 2006

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

On 16 November 2006, Sudhaus cultural centre of Bâle hosted the Swiss Big
Brother Awards ceremony of 2006 organised by Archives de l’Etat Fouineur
Swiss and the EDRI-member Swiss Internet User Group SIUG.

The jury deciding on the winners included 11 people from various
institutions and organizations having acted against control and
surveillance. The winners received concrete trophies, a certificate and were
mentioned on the “Hall of Shame” list.

The trophy for the category “State” was awarded to the Federal Council of
Corpore represented by Christoph Blocher, the head of the Federal Department
of Justice and Police for the application of internal security measures
involving phone tapping, secret search of information systems and
installation of secret microphones in apartments without concrete basis just
under the cover of preventive investigations.

The winner of the “Business” category was the insurance company Assurance
CSS for having given their collaborators large access to their clients’ data
that included medical information and even HIV test results.

Other candidates were companies such as Microsoft, Cablecom, Swisscom or
Crédit Suisse as well as many sports clubs and associations and transport
companies who survey their employees and clients.

The “Working Place” category was won by the Dietikon branch of the
Media-Markt chain where the employees were continuously under surveillance
not only at their working place, but even in the rest rooms.

The fourth award for the category “Activity” was received by Hans Wegmuller,
director of SRS (Strategic Information Service), a department created 5
years ago which is actually the military Swiss Intelligence Service, a
service that uses ONYX telecom mass surveillance devices.

Besides the negative awards, a positive “Winkelried” award has been lately
given during BBA ceremonies. This year, the Swiss awarded this to the
Referendum Committee LMIS, made out of groups of sports fans and political
groups that will launch a referendum in Spring against the introduction of
an “anti-hooligan” law.

Press Release Big Brother Awards 2006 (Only in French – 16.11.2006)
http://www.bigbrotherawards.ch/2006/presse/pressemitteilungen/bba.pressemitteilung.20061116.6f.txt