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Date: 2002-05-31
Stallman, Rotenberg ueber SOS Datenschutz
"Die Unterdrückung von Opposition ist auf dem Vormarsch in Europa", schreibt Richard Stallman in einer öffentlichen Antwort an einen EU-Abgeordneten [ganz unten]. Marc Rotenbergs [EPIC] Manöverkritik der SOS Datenschutz-Kampaign endet hingegen optimistisch.
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Dear Friends,
By now it is known. The European Parliament has sided with the Council and adopted a law that permits data retention for police purposes.
There is no way to diminish the significance of this measure. Many of us know the reasons that European telephone companies and Internet Service Providers have been reluctant to maintain communication records on their customers for the police.
Still, we should take some comfort in the extraordinary amount of work that was done in a very short period of time by the people on this list. Here at EPIC Cédric Laurant worked around the clock to prepare analysis, make translations, and communicate with the press and the Members of the European Parliament. Casper, Meryem, Maurice, Erich, Twister and others not only supported the statement but also encouraged many others to do so as well.
By including individual email addresses in our message we also enabled a remarkable exchange with Paciotti. At least in the United States there has never been a Member of Congress who respond by email to a group of NGOs as an important vote approached.
Our efforts clearly caught the attention of the Parliament and the international media. This measure may have been passed today, but the next time it will not be so easy. A lot more people know about this issue.
That is why we will work in support of the efforts at the national level to block new data retention requirements. There are provisions of Constitutional rights at the national level that may effectively prevent the adoption of this proposal in some of the states. We need to seize more opportunities to raise citizens' awareness and educate national parliaments on the issue of privacy and data retention
At EPIC we have much work ahead. There is the upcoming Privacy and Human Rights survey which will be coordinated by Sarah Andrews with the support and help of many European privacy experts. That report provides an opportunity to document the steps that national governments are taking to safeguard or curtail the righs of their citizens. There is also the upcoming meeting of Privacy International in London on September 6. And Cédric will continue to help with organizing efforts.
The United States did not cast the vote this week for data retention. But we share much of the responsibility for putting this proposal to the European Council and ultimately the European Parliament.
We will work together to undo this damage.
Marc Rotenberg.
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Aus einem Posting Richard Stallmans:
<I am aware that this final proposal is not fully <satisfactory, but a = compromise solution seldom <is.
Compromise is a mistake, and is not necessary, on this issue of human rights and surveillance. Why give in part way to a bad proposal when you can simply block it? The Parliament should amend the bill to say what it *should* say. By standing firm, it can make the surveillance agencies accept limitations on their power.
<I'd also like to draw your attention to the fact <that the core of this = directive is the <safeguard of the fundamental right to the <protection of = personal data in the internal <market:
The directive may primarily address that issue, but government surveillance is just as important an issue, just as real a danger. I am sure you know that the best way to make sure data does not leak is not to collect it or at least not to retain it. You probably also know the reasons why telecommunicatoins companies were not supposed to retain data: because the Nazis used these records to track down the associates of potential political opposition. Repression of opposition is on the rise in Europe; now is not the time to make any more tools for it.
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edited by Harkank
published on: 2002-05-31
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