July 28, 2010

WP29 criticizes the implementation of the EU data retention directive

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [WP29 Datenschutzgruppe kritisiert Umsetzung der Vorratsdatenspeicherung | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2089] Article 29 Working Party (WP29) adopted during their meeting on 12-14 July 2010 a report on the implementation of the European data retention directive 2006/24/EC reaching the conclusion that the directive is currently not applied in a homogenous manner by […]

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July 28, 2010

Germany: Filtering by keywords is not an obligation for a hosting company

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Deutschland: Hosting-Unternehmen müssen keine Wortfilter einsetzen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2090] The Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf decided on 21 July 2010 that RapidShare, as a hosting company, is not guilty of copyright infringement. RapidShare has faced several cases in court for copyright infringement and in December 2009 lost a case […]

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July 28, 2010

Dutch Internet provider not obliged to block The Pirate Bay

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Niederländischer Internetdienste-Anbieter muss The Pirate Bay nicht sperren | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2091] The Court of The Hague, in a decision of 19 July 2010, dismissed a request by Dutch copyright enforcement organisation Brein to order Internet provider Ziggo to block access to The Pirate Bay. In its decision in summary […]

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July 28, 2010

Italy: New draft law endangers bloggers' freedom of expression

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Italien: Neuer Gesetzesentwurf gefährdet Meinungsfreiheit von Bloggern | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2092] A group of Italian bloggers and journalists have made an appeal “No Legge Bavaglio alla rete” (No Gag Law to the Net) to support the campaign against a draft law that will add new barriers to freedom of expression […]

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July 28, 2010

EDRi responds to European Commission consultation on creative industries

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EDRi im Konsultationsverfahren zur Kreativindustrie | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2093] European Digital Rights has responded to the consultation organised by DG Culture of the European Commission on unlocking the potential of the cultural and creative industries. The consultation defines its subject matter very widely and also covers both the online and […]

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July 28, 2010

ENDitorial: Industry RFID PIA: not endorsed in its current form

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [ ENDitorial: Keine Zustimmung zur RFID-Folgenabschätzung der Industrie | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2094] On 13 July 2010, the Article 29 Working Party adopted an opinion on the Industry Proposal for a Privacy and Data Protection Impact Assessment Framework for RFID Applications (Industry RFID PIA framework) in which it concludes it would […]

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August 25, 2010

Google Street View faces citizens' reservation in EU

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EU-Bürger gegen Google Street View | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2125] While Google intends to go on mapping localities in Europe through its Street View system, several EU countries continue to show reluctance to this service due to privacy issues. In May 2010, Google was faced with big concerns in Germany after […]

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August 25, 2010

Some European ISPs ordered by courts to block access to gambling

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Europäische ISPs sollen Zugang zu Glücksspiel-Seiten sperren | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2126] As a result of a case introduced by Arjel (the new French online gambling regulating authority) against Gibraltar-based site stanjames.com which had not responded to the authority’s formal request to stop its services to French users, on 6 August […]

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August 25, 2010

Romanian Government wants to issue Electronic ID cards

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Rumänische Regierung plant elektronische ID-Karten | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2127] The Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration (MAI) submitted for public consultation, in the middle of August 2010, a new draft Ordinance for issuing mandatory electronic ID cards for Romanians starting with 1 January 2011. Even though the decision […]

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August 25, 2010

French authority wants users to install spyware on their computers

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Französische Behörden wollen Nutzer zur Installation von Spyware verpflichten | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2128] Hadopi (the French Authority for the implementation of the 3 strikes law) did not make public the document regarding the draft specifications of the security measures for the Internet (part of the three strikes system), although the […]

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August 25, 2010

EU interim technical supervisor for EU-US Swift Agreement

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Einstweilige technische Aufsicht für EU-US SWIFT Abkommen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2129] As on 1 August 2010 the so-called Swift agreement allowing EU citizens’ bank data to be transferred to US is to come into force, the European Commission will appoint an interim “technical” supervisor to oversee the searches of US […]

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August 25, 2010

Azeri bloggers appeal rejected by the Supreme Court

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Einspruch von Azeri Bloggern vom Höchstgericht abgewiesen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2130] The Azerbaijani Supreme Court took a disturbing decision on 19 August 2010 rejecting the appeal by bloggers and activists Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade thus upholding the previous decisions taken by the lower courts in 2009 that convicted the […]

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