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US To Get EU Private Citizen Data
An anonymous reader writes "In a case of 'all your data are belong to us,' the US government is close to coming to an agreement with the EU that allows it to get private citizen data on EU citizens to 'look for suspicious activity.' So, now we know what step three is: set up a security agency in the US to resell otherwise unavailable data."
Forgot to post a link to the proposed law, so here it is. And yes, it's for real.
NYTimes randomly requires free registration on popular stories.
Some bugmenot accounts
I RTFA.
I did.
The Times does not say that the EU is going to hand over private information to US authorities.
Actually,
"The United States and the European Union are nearing completion of an agreement allowing law enforcement and security agencies to obtain private information â" like credit card transactions, travel histories and Internet browsing habits â" about people on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean."
to me, means exactly that.
I just don't trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn't die.
You could have voted, you know. There are elections for the European parliament. It's just that no-one shows up (typically 20-40% of registered voters actually votes).
Just what I would have wanted my unelected EMPs to do on my behalf.
The EMP's, who are actually directly elected, have nothing to do with this agreement (and if you'd read the article, you'd see they are more critical of it than anyone else).
It's being negotiated by the Commission with a mandate of the EU Council of Ministers (who will later still have to, and probably will, approve it). The EU Council of Ministers consists of the ministers from all national governments (different ministers depending on the subject being discussed). You know, those ministers who always approve unpopular measures when they're in the Council and then later at home blame the EU for having to implement those same measures in national law.
Donate free food here
Actually, they're the only EU body that is democratically elected! If you refused to vote in the 2004 EP elections, that's another matter; next year you'll have a chance to remedy that.
(And of course the Lisbon treaty was supposed to give the EP more power, which would have increased democracy in the EU. Too bad.)
Did you miss this bit of that page?
"Own initiative reports are drafted by individual MEPs and are not proposals for EU laws."
The masses are too apathetic to do anything
Actually, when the masses have actually been asked in a referendum, they have generally rejected the various EU constitution/superstate treaties. It's just that this time around with the Lisbon treaty, only one government has so far had the courage to go to its people and ask (well, actually their constitution required it). Despite widespread criticism, other leaders have ratified the treaty againt popular opinion. The masses aren't apathetic, they just aren't being given the choice, in one of the most flagrant violations of democracy in recent history.
And for the avoidance of doubt, we don't get to elect the people with real power in the EU framework, who are apparently behind this particular affront to privacy, either.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.