March 10, 2010

ECJ: The Data Protection Authorities need to be completely independent

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EuGH: Datenschutzbehörden müssen vollkommen unabhängig sein | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1756] A European Court of Justice (ECJ) decision made public on 9 March 2010 in the case of the European Commission vs. Germany rules that the Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) established in accordance with the Data Protection Directive 95/46 needs to […]

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March 10, 2010

UK Government to decide on the Internet disconnections and web blocking

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [GB-Regierung entscheidet über Internetsperren und Webblockaden | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1757] Discussions continue in the House of Lords over the controversial Digital Economy Bill especially over Internet disconnections (or account suspension, as the UK Government is calling it now) and web blocking. The draft law would give the power to the […]

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March 10, 2010

PNR agreements with US and Australia on the European Parliament's Agenda

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EP: Passagierdatenabkommen mit den USA und Australien auf der Tagesordnung | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1758] The European Parliament (EP) has discussed last week the PNR (Passenger Name Records) agreements with the US and Australia. MEP Sophie In’t Veld (ALDE, Netherlands) explained that the Parliament has traditionally been more opposed to PNR […]

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March 10, 2010

French Constitutional Court: No to police access to private space CCTV

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Französisches Verfassungsgericht: Nein zu Polizeizugriff auf CCTV im privaten Bereich | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1759] On 25 February 2010, the French Constitutional Council gave its decision on the appeal made by a group of more than 60 senators and 60 deputies against the law reinforcing the fight against gang violence and […]

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March 10, 2010

Article 29: Reduce the storing period of Google Street View's images

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Artikel 29: Reduziert die Lagerzeit der Google Street View-Aufnahmen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1760] Alex Turk, the head of EU Article 29 Working Party (WP) sent a letter on 11 February 2010 asking Google company to warn people about the arrival of its Street View vehicles and to reduce the retention […]

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March 10, 2010

Survey on Chip implants in Germany

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Gutachten zu Chipimplantaten in Deutschland | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1761] According to a survey carried out by German IT industry lobby group BITKOM, 23% out of 1000 German respondents would accept to have a microchip implanted in their body if that would bring concrete benefits from it. The survey was meant […]

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March 10, 2010

Declaration on Safer Internet proposed in the Macedonian Parliament

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Deklaration zu Safer Internet im makedonischen Parlament beantragt | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1762] On 24 February 2010, a group of MPs submitted a Draft-Declaration on Safer Internet during the 39th session of the Commission for Transport, Communications and Environment of the Macedonian Parliament. MP Aleksandar Spasenovski is the initiator of the […]

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March 24, 2010

Spanish court rules that links to p2p content are legal

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Spanisches Gericht urteilt: Links zu P2P-Inhalten nicht gesetzeswidrig | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1790] A civil court in Barcelona has recently ruled against SGAE (the Spanish collective society of authors and editors) in a case brought against Jesus Guerra who was administrating a site called elrincondejesus.com with links to P2P content. SGAE […]

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March 24, 2010

EP, EDPS and EDRi on RFID and the Internet of Things

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EP, EDPS und EDRi über RFID und das Internet der Dinge | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1792] The European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) discussed at its meeting on 17 March 2010 the draft report by rapporteur Maria Badia i Cutchet on the Internet of Things (IoT). The report […]

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March 24, 2010

UK is one step closer to blocking access to Internet

Article corrected on 31.03.2010 This article is also available in: Deutsch: [GB macht einen Schritt auf die Unterbindung von Internetzugängen zu | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1793] The most controversial Digital Economy Bill has advanced one more step having been passed by the British House of Lords on 15 March 2010. The bill allows for the “temporary suspension” of […]

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March 24, 2010

Spanish anti-piracy law approved by the Government

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Spanische Regierung bestätigt Anti-Piraterie-Gesetz | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1794] The Spanish Council of Ministers approved on 19 March 2010 the draft for the Sustainable Economy Law (LES) that gives legal cover to the closure of sites that links to “illegal” content made available without the the copyright owners’ permission. Despite the […]

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March 24, 2010

Four strikes in the Belgium draft copy of the French Hadopi law

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Vier Treffer in der belgischen Nachahmung des französischen Hadopi-Gesetzes | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1795] On 17 March 2010, Belgian senator Philippe Monfils presented a new version of his proposition for a law that would implement in Belgium the graduated response system in illegal downloading cases, as the one introduced by the […]

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