Telecommunication data retention
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Air France spies on staff
According to an article in Transfert.net, Air France has been spying for years on some of its staff with the help of a camera hidden behind a clock. A union-member became suspicious when he took a close look at the thick electrical wires going to a clock in a private relaxation room on Roissy airport. […]
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Spy-chip in all European cars?
A few days ago, the Sunday Times revealed plans from British government officials to fit all cars in Britain with personalised spy-chips. The micro-chip will automatically report a wide range of offences including speeding, road tax evasion and illegal parking. Roadside sensors will be able to monitor all private cars wherever they travel. But plans […]
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Londoners to pay extra for anonymous travelling
A new price-scheme for public transport in London puts a high price on privacy. Bus and tube tickets in central London will rise up to 25% in price from January 2004. But passengers using the Oyster smartcard will be able to travel at 2003 prices. This plastic card, fitted with a contact-less microchip (RFID), was […]
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Call for boycott of Gillette products
The US consumer group CASPIAN is calling for a boycott of Gillette products. CASPIAN is protesting against the use of Radio Frequency Identifiers (RFIDs) in Gillette products. UK supermarket chain Tesco used RFIDs in Gillette razorblades to test a controversial surveillance system that tracks and photographs customers. In EDRI-gram number 14 the test and similar […]
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French IP commission promotes internet-surveillance
On 26 June a special copyright advisory board within the French Ministry of Culture published a report supporting government plans to increase surveillance of Internet users as part of a wider bid to stop the online copying of protected works. The Superior Council for Artistic and Literary Intellectual Property (Conseil Supérieur de la Propriété Littéraire […]
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Big brother in the supermarket
The UK supermarket chain Tesco has confirmed that it is testing a controversial surveillance system that tracks customers in one of their stores in Cambridge. Anyone buying certain products will have their picture taken. Twice. The system uses Radio Frequency Identifiers (RFIDs) to trigger CCTV cameras to take a picture of the customer. In the […]
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Dutch MEP announces court case about PNR-data
A Dutch member of the European Parliament is threatening to take the European Commission to court for failing to protect the digital privacy of its EU citizens. EU MP Johanna Boogerd is also vice-chairman of LIBE, the parliamentary committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs. She opposes the agreement between the Commission […]
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Preparations for biometric chip in EU passports
International technical standards bodies (ISO) and civil aviation bodies (ICAO) are preparing plans for ‘globally interoperable machine readable passports’. The technology should consist of RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification) that contain ‘details that enable the machine-assisted identification of the presenter’. These technical descriptions point at passports that can transmit biometric data over a radio frequency. The […]
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RFID developers aim to neutralise opposition
Developers of Radio Frequency Identification (RFIDs) are making plans to ‘neutralize opposition’ to their new technology. The strategy is discussed in confidential documents from the Auto-ID Center, in which RFID developers work together. The documents were uncovered by Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN) through a security glitch on the Auto-ID Center’ website. […]
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Commission workshop on Privacy Enhancing Technology
On 4 July, the European Commission organised a technical workshop on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETS) in Brussels. 39 experts, from Europe, the USA and Canada were invited to participate, ranging from Commission officials to academic experts, from data protection authorities to business representatives. Amongst the invitees were also 2 EDRI-members; FIPR and Bits of Freedom. […]
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Swiss data protection chief criticizes USA
The head of Switzerland’s data protection commission says the United States’ war on terror is undermining personal privacy. Hanspeter Thür calls for tighter controls on the campaign against terrorism and for more money to safeguard individual rights. According to him, the Bush administration is pursuing a repressive policy with little regard for data protection. The […]
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Data protection recommendations on PNR
The European Data Protection Authorities, convened in the European Working Party (Article 29 Data Protection Working Party), have published an opinion on the transfer of EU airline passenger data to the US. The Working Party also published a US Customs document dated 22 May 2003 that refines the US wishes and demands towards PNR data […]
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