Slashdot Mirror
EU Still Looking at Mandatory Data Retention
An anonymous reader writes "Following up on a
previous Slashdot article,
European civil rights advocacy group
Statewatch
is detecting more rumbles of a possible
weakening of privacy rights in the EU. The
European council has been testing the waters
for a new policy mandating retention of
communications "traffic data" by all member states. The previous policy (adopted May 30) merely allowed an exception to EU privacy law for member states who wished to retain such data.
Under the leaked draft proposal, law enforcement is to be allowed access to "traffic data" (identifying source, destination, time, etc.), which is similar to current US law. However, much worse is the requirement that telco providers retain such data for 12-24 months.
Text of the
draft framework decision
is available.
Also
analysis
by Statewatch.
Backup link (in case of Slashdot effect)."
Someone has mad equity in the databackup / storage market out there
Walk with Music;
exactly, someone will pay, and someone will definately produce a nice proffit...whos that again?
Walk with Music;
I know our benevolant, wise, and responsible US Federal Government would never enact such blantant acts of controll over its freedom-loving, tuned in, and watchful citizens. Oh, wait... /me packs his things and heads for Antarctica
Just a minute /.
Flips on atari 800xl
pick up microphone and speak into it
"Computer, find me information on Anonymous Coward"
1030 (300 baud) modem dials out
short wait
Faster than you can read, the following appears, often in higher resolution than the computer can drive)
you got a C in gym class in 4th grade
Video of your at the office christmas party
Your rejection letter from MIT
(censered) communication from your bed last night, taken from microphone in your light
copy of your bare butt on the office copier
complete shower videos from 9th grade gym
Complete history of your postings to
At least that is how it would be in the movies.
are belong to EU.
and if you tell anyone you've given us your passwords, you'll be jailed" laws and London "Every square inch is under 24/7 video surveillance", it really seems like our friends across the pond are giving us a run for the money in the "Who'll completely destroy the notion of privacy and/or civil liberty first" contest. Good thing we've still got TIPS.
that rightfully thought the US was backwards with Fritz Holling, DMCA, etc: Welcome!
I got karma to burn. Mod me down if you must.
2. ???
3. Security!
Seriously, what is needed is some civil disobedience. Set up weird accounts like yarafat@hamas-resistance.il, exchange suspicious e-mails with your friends (in case they don't retain the body, make sure they get to read the subject), get as many people as possible to do it. The more false positives, the more impossible the system will be to maintain.
Remember, they're trying to make you f33r. When only one person stands up, he has a damn good reason to be afraid. When 10,000 stand up, the opposition has a damn good reason to be afraid.
Oh, and in case it needs to be said.. use PGP as much as possible, and try to run your own mailserver.
Just for the record: Osama Project Iraq Desert Storm Hailstorm Bush GWB kill maim murder torture Mossad oil Kuwait Iraq Iran Saudi Arabia we have the assassination plans praise Allah one hundred virgins FBI CIA Hoover Dyson MI5 MI6 James Bond Dr Evil one million pounds safety deposit box Switzerland Nazi gold bank account launch code RSA DSA NSA BSA