Biometrics
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New EU proposals foresee mandatory biometrics in national ID cards
The European Commission has proposed a host of new measures aimed at “denying terrorists the means to act” which include the mandatory inclusion of two biometrics – fingerprints and a facial image – in all ID cards and residence documents for European Union citizens and their family members issued by Member States.
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UN Security Council mandates worldwide air traveller profiling
In the name of “preventing, detecting and investigating terrorist offenses and related travel”, all United Nations (UN) Member States should develop systems for processing and analysing Passenger Name Record (PNR), Advance Passenger Information (API) and “fingerprints, photographs, facial recognition, and other relevant identifying biometric data”, according to a UN Security Council resolution (no. 2396) on […]
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ECJ decided Microsoft must pay a 860 million Euro fine
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EuGH verurteilt Microsoft zu 860 Millionen Euro Strafe | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.13_EuGH_verurteilt_Microsoft_zu_860_Millionen_Euro_Strafe?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20120704] The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has rejected Microsoft’s appeal against the European Commission’s decision of 2008 to fine the company for not having shared interoperability information to its competitors, in a long case first brought by the […]
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Slovakia: Mandatory e-forms work only on software from one vendor
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Slowakei: Verpflichtende Web-Lösung funktioniert nur mit Software eines einzigen Herstellers | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.9_Slowakei_Verpflichtende_Web-Loesung_funktioniert_nur_mit_Software_eines_einzigen_Herstellers?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20120509] In Slovakia, a law introduced to reduce red tape has led to injustice. The state has mandated electronic means as the only way of fulfilling certain statutory obligations. However the dedicated web solution excludes some citizens […]
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EU standards reform: Carte blanche stifles open formats
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Reform europäischer Normen: Blankovollmacht bremst offene Formate aus | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.4_Reform_europaeischer_Normen_Blankovollmacht_bremst_offene_Formate_aus?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20120229] The European standardisation system is being revamped. In the European Parliament, the Consumer Committee (IMCO) under its rapporteur Lara Comi (EPP, Italy) is deliberating a proposal from the European Commission. Parliament members face tricky regulatory decisions on the […]
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Software-hardware bundling not accepted in France
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Frankreich: Verknüpfung von Hard- und Software nicht zulässig | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.3_Frankreich_Verknuepfung_von_Hard_und_Software_nicht_zulaessig?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20120221] The giant Lenovo computer hardware manufacturer that sold computers with Windows OS included suffered a defeat in a French court of Aix-en-Provence in a case introduced by a French customer. This is another case in a long line […]
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UK: Medical records in the open data programme?
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [GB: Medizinische Daten im „Open Data“-Programm? | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.24_GB_Medizinische_Daten_im_Open_Data-Programm?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20111218] British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that, under his “open data” programme, all UK medical records will in future be made available to researchers in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry, unless patients opt out. They will be “anonymised”; at […]
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Unlocking education in the Netherlands
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Befreit die niederländische Bildung | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.22_Befreit_die_niederlaendische_Bildung?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20111116] Dutch schools are progressively locking out students from online environments due to the use of proprietary web-technology (Silverlight) and closed standards. This contravenes with the 2007 Netherlands Open in Connection policy framework that mandates the use of open standards for all public […]
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The European Commission encourages the digitisation of culture
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Europäische Kommission fördert Digitalisierung des Kulturerbes | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.21_Europaeische_Kommission_foerdert_Digitalisierung_des_Kulturerbes?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20111110] An EC Recommendation issued on 28 October 2011 is urging Member States to intensify their efforts and involve the private sector to help in digitising cultural material in order to improve the exposure and stocks of Europe’s digital library Europeana. […]
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Free operating systems might be blocked by Windows 8
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Das neue Windows 8 könnte freie Betriebssysteme blockieren | http://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.18_Das_neue_Windows8_koennte_freie_Betriebssysteme_blockieren?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20111004] The hardware certified for the new 64 bit operating system from Microsoft (Windows 8) will have to use the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) with security measures that would not allow installing of other operating systems, such as […]
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Copyright complaint leads to public domain music library takedown
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Urheberrechtsbeschwerde: Musikbibliothek offline | http://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.9_Urheberrechtsbeschwerde_Musikbibliothek_offline] International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), the largest public domain music library on the Internet, has been recently taken offline following a complaint from the UK’s Music Publishers Association which convinced registrar GoDaddy to takedown their website. The action was brought over a […]
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Lack of net neutrality and open standards threaten the web
This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Mangel an Netzneutralität und Open Standards gefährdet das Netz | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2398] “The Web is critical not merely to the digital revolution but to our continued prosperity-and even our liberty. Like democracy itself, it needs defending.” This is the subtitle of a recent article of Tim Berners-Lee published in […]
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