<nettime> EU plan for compulsory data retention

["Ben Hayes" <ben@statewatch.pipal.net>]

Statewatch press release, 20 August 2002

EU plan for compulsory data retention - data to be retained for 12-24
months

Under the Danish Presidency the Council of the European Union (the 15 EU
governments) are planning to introduce a binding Framework Decision on
data retention and access by law enforcement agencies (police, customs,
immigration and internal security agencies)  to all traffic data data
covering phone calls, faxes, mobile phone calls and internet usage.

The draft Framework Decision, initially drawn up by the Belgian government
and now taken over by the Danish Presidency, has been leaked to
Statewatch.

The traffic data of the whole population of the EU - and the countries
joining - is to be held on record. It is a move from targeted to
potentially universal surveillance," Tony Bunyan, Statewatch editor,
warned yesterday. "EU governments claimed that changes to the 1997 privacy
directive would not be binding on member states - each national parliament
would have to decide.  Now we know that all along they were intending to
make it compulsory across Europe."

Gone too under the draft Framework Decision are basic rights of data
protection, proper rules of procedure, scrutiny by supervisory bodies and
judical review"

The full story, analysis and documents are on:

<http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/aug/05datafd1.htm>

See also today's Gaurdian which has covered the story:

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/netprivacy/article/0,2763,777574,00.html>

For further information:

00 44 208 802 1882

e-mail: office@statewatch.org






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