Top EU court rejects EU-wide data retention law. 8 April 2014Last updated at 11:39 GMT Police now access huge data sets in the fight against crime The EU's top court has declared "invalid" an EU law requiring telecoms firms to store citizens' communications data for up to two years.
The EU Data Retention Directive was adopted in 2006. The European Court of Justice says it violates two basic rights - respect for private life and protection of personal data. Snowden Gives Testimony To European Parliament Inquiry Into Mass Surveillance, Asks For EU Asylum. A few weeks back, we reported that the European Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) committee planned to send some questions to Edward Snowden as part of its inquiry on electronic mass surveillance of EU citizens.
He's now replied to these, prefacing them with a short statement (pdf -- embedded below.) Although there are no major revelations -- he specifically states that he will not be disclosing anything not already published -- it does contain many important clarifications and interesting comments. Reding: NSA, friends don't spy on friends. Europe, let's team up for our own SPOOK CLUB.
GCHQ and European spy agencies worked together on mass surveillance. The German, French, Spanish and Swedish intelligence services have all developed methods of mass surveillance of internet and phone traffic over the past five years in close partnership with Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping agency.
The bulk monitoring is carried out through direct taps into fibre optic cables and the development of covert relationships with telecommunications companies. A loose but growing eavesdropping alliance has allowed intelligence agencies from one country to cultivate ties with corporations from another to facilitate the trawling of the web, according to GCHQ documents leaked by the former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. The files also make clear that GCHQ played a leading role in advising its European counterparts how to work around national laws intended to restrict the surveillance power of intelligence agencies. 'Huge potential' "Very friendly crypt meeting with DGSE in July," British officials reported. Fresh opportunities European allies. NSA files: latest reaction and developments - live.
As Andrew Sparrow reports on his politics live blog, both Nick Clegg, Britain’s deputy prime minister, and Theresa May, the home secretary, have spoken out this morning about MI5 chief Sir Andrew Parker’s speech on Tuesday and whether the Guardian was right to publish Edward Snowden’s leaked documents.
Clegg said the Guardian was right to launch a debate, but he felt the paper had gone too far in publishing “very technical information” that would only be understood by “technicians amongst the terrorists”. Here are the full quotes: Theresa May’s view was closer to that of Parker – and that expressed by David Cameron’s spokesman yesterday. She said: GAP's Jesselyn Radack reads Edward Snowden's Statement for EU Parliament Committee. Dual-use tech "EU should stop the spread of digital arms", MEP Schaake. International. Untitled. Europol will Daten aller Europäer zentral verwalten. The Wikileaks, Julian Assange Diplomatic Standoff. Translation Interview Marielle Gallo ACTA pcinpact. Original Interview, in French at:
Marielle Gallo tries to claw back ACTA. Monica Horten Published on 15 April 2012.
Euro Officials Begin to Weigh Greek Exit. Greece’s possible exit from the euro moved to the center of Europe’s financial-crisis debate, rattling markets as authorities in Athens struggled to form a government.
Meetings brokered by Greek President Karolos Papoulias were set to continue today after Syriza, the leading anti-bailout party, rejected a unity government following inconclusive elections May 6. That moved the country closer to a new vote, with at least five European central bankers broaching the once- taboo topic of its exit from the euro. Spain to persist in ‘suicidal’ austerity policies despite 25% unemployment rate. By Muriel KaneFriday, April 27, 2012 19:12 EDT Figures released by the Spanish government on Friday show that country with an unemployment rate of 24.4%, the highest in Europe, and a rate of over 50% among 16-24 year olds.
But despite the bad economic news, that country’s leadership appears determined to stick with the austerity program it has pursued for the last two years and has even recently announcing an increase in consumer taxes for next year. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy passed a plan in February to make it cheaper for employers to let workers go while raising taxes and cutting spending including health care and education.” As explained by The New York Times, the Spanish government’s hope has been that even if growth and jobs suffer from draconian budget cuts, the lower interest rates that result will keep bond investors happy.
But instead, foreign capital has been fleeing the country. This video is from AFP, April 27, 2012. Translate. Emails Expose Eu And Covert War Waged By Israel Against Iran - AssociationOfTruth. IRELAND #WIKILEAKS & #CABLEGATE. Hackers hit Greek ministry over austerity, anti-piracy deal. By Agence France-PresseFriday, February 3, 2012 16:35 EDT Online hackers group Anonymous on Friday attacked the Greek justice ministry website in criticism of the country’s tough fiscal reforms and its decision to join a controversial anti-piracy deal.
“You have introduced a new dictatorship upon your people’s shoulders and allowed the bankers and the monarchs of the EU to enslave them both economically and politically,” the group said in a statement posted on the ministry’s site. “Democracy was given birth in your country but you have now killed it,” they added. Greece is applying a crunch economic overhaul under supervision from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund that has left nearly 900,000 jobless and plunged the country into a deep recession.
European Parliament Member Marietje Schaake Explains How Europeans Can Stop ACTA. As we've been discussing, there's been a lot of misinformation flying around concerning ACTA -- especially in the EU, where it has not yet been officially voted on.
While we've tried to explain some of the problems with the agreement, there is still plenty of confusion over what to do about it. Thankfully, Marietje Schaake, a Member of the European Parliament (whose excellent work we've discussed before) has taken to Reddit to provide a lot more detail about the process itself, and what people can do to speak up. It's very useful info, especially for those in Europe (while also being a nice display of how politicians can use Reddit for good purposes). ACTA rapporteur denounces ACTA mascarade. Source: ACTA : une mascarade à laquelle je ne participerai pas - Kader Arif Kader Arif, rapporteur for ACTA in the European Parliament quit his role as rapporteur saying: Copyright Monopoly Study: “Without Copyright, No Computers”!? The size of Greece's debt. Holding of the Signing Ceremony for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) Israeli Ministers promote racist vision for Israel (and Judaism)