June 16, 2010

Macedonia: Civil society calls for the respect of privacy

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Mazedonien: Zivilgesellschaft fordert Respekt vor Privatsphäre | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2002] On 11 June 2010, fifteen Macedonian civil society organizations reacted to the threats to privacy and democracy contained in the Draft Law amending the Law on Electronic Communications, calling for the withdrawal of the text from parliamentary procedure. The call […]

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July 15, 2009

China accused by the EU for its intentions to censor the Internet

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EU beschuldigt China, das Internet zensieren zu wollen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1463] On 25 June 2009, the European Commission condemned Chinese plans to enforce the instalment of the “Green Dam Youth Escort” filtering software on all PCs sold starting with 1 July. As an unprecedented decision, the Chinese authorities postponed […]

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June 16, 2010

Copyright and cultural diversity

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Urheberrecht und kulturelle Vielfalt | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2003] The conclusions of a study commissioned by the Culture and Education Committee (CULT), summarising the state of implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (ratified by the European Community in 2007) has been […]

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July 15, 2009

Azeri online activists framed for hooliganism and put in prison

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Azeri Online-Aktivisten wird Hooligmanismus angehängt – Haftstrafen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1464] Two young Azeri bloggers – Emin Abdullayev (Milli), one of the founders of AN Network, a grass roots youth movement and Adnan Hajizada, a video-blogger from OL! Youth Movement – have been arrested by the police after they have […]

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July 15, 2009

Irish Data Retention Bill published

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Irisches Vorratsdatenspeicherungsgesetz veröffentlicht| http://www.unwatched.org/node/1465] On 6 July, the Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2009 was presented to the Irish Parliament. The Bill is intended to implement the Data Retention Directive and if enacted will establish a two year retention period for telephone data with a one year retention […]

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June 16, 2010 · Blogs

French journalist facing jail for online releasing of a clip on Sarkozy

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Französischer Journalist wegen Sarkozy-Video vor Gericht | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2005] A French journalist may go to jail for having leaked on the Internet an embarrassing off-air video with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Augustin Scalbert of Rue89, brought to court by the National TV company France 3, was charged with […]

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July 15, 2009

EDPS on the Stockholm Programme

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Der Datenschutzbeauftragte äußert sich zum Stockholmprogramm | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1466] After the release of the Stockholm Programme considered by civil rights groups as enhancing the “dangerously authoritarian” European surveillance and security system, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) published on 13 July 2009 his opinion on the new system. The […]

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June 16, 2010

ENDitorial: New coalition's U-turn on privacy in UK

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [ENDitorial: Kehrtwende der neuen britischen Koalition | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2006] The coalition Government plans to keep the Summary Care Record, despite pre-election pledges by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to rip up the system – which is not compliant with the I v Finland judgement of the European […]

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July 15, 2009

Hadopi 2 adopted very fast by the French Senate

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Hadopi 2 vom französischen Senat sehr schnell angenommen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1467] On 8 July 2009, in a very rapid session, the French Senate adopted the new three strikes draft law, so called Hadopi 2. The only difference between the first version of the law and Hadopi 2 is that […]

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July 15, 2009

EU Commissioner: Current business models encourage illegal file-sharing

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EU-Kommissarin: bestehende Geschäftsmodelle ermuntern illegales illegales File-Sharen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1468] On 9 July, during the Ludwig Erhard Lecture 2009 Lisbon Council in Brussels, Viviane Reding, EU telecommunications commissioner, while presenting the proposed strategy for a future digital European society, expressed the idea that present business models lead to the […]

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June 30, 2010

Data retention – time for evidence-based decision making

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Vorratsdatenspeicherung – Zeit für evidenzbasierte Entscheidungen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2031] In June 2010 the European Parliament adopted a farcical “written declaration” ostensibly on the creation of an “early warning system” to fight pedophiles. Funded by unknown sources, the MEPs in charge (Zaborska from the Czech Republic and Motti from Italy) […]

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July 15, 2009

The big record companies are after Irish ISPs

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Die großen Plattenfirmen haben es auf die irischen ISPs abegesehen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1469] The big music record companies, EMI Records (Ireland), Sony Music Entertainment Ireland, Universal Music Ireland, Warner Music Ireland and WEA International Incorporated, are after the Irish ISPs trying to force them to adopt a three strikes […]

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