Comments on: DRI condemns backdoor implementation of surveillance laws

By: Raymo

Raymo — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:27:33 +0000

Germany: New Basic Right to Privacy of Computer Systems

Thought it might be of interest here that the German COnstitutional Court has introduced a new ‘basic right to to the confidentiality and integrity of information-technological systems.’

http://bendrath.blogspot.com/2008/02/germany-new-basic-right-to-privacy-of.html

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 20:52:24 +0000

This is nuts. Europe shouts and Ireland bends over. There is no need to hold this information unless the Govt/Gardai intend mass surveillance on some level. The idea that they have unwarranted access to personal data without a legal court order is beyond comprehension in what is considered a first world country. Even my post decrying this measure could in some circles be considered ‘Subversive” and anti-establishment and could lead to me being singled out for harassment in the near future should this be allowed to be implemented. No No No. Why is this so quiet? why are the main stream media not reporting this. We are walking into a police state like the US and UK. Giving our hard earned freedoms won by patriots away to faceless bureaucrats in brussles is tantamount to treason., This Government should be dissolved due to its corruption and ineptness and what could be accounted as criminal activity. ‘No’ to Lisbon

By: David

David — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:39:30 +0000

I can see people getting up in arms if this measure were to be put into a postal context.

Let’s just say you were required to:
1) write your full name and address on the outside of every letter sent.
2) allow An Post to open the letter, scan or photocopy the contents.
3) make the contents searchable
4) store this data for years..

Or, if your phone company were required to record all the telephone calls you make and store your voicemails on file for several years.

Why is this being done?

Is it simply a case of “because we can” …

We’re sleep walking into a situation where we’re going to be as monitored as people were behind the Iron curtain by the Stazi, the KGB and other secret police organisations.

It’s utterly ridiculous. Do the police forces really think that the solution to everything is to put everyone’s personal lives into a giant google database and just search for crime!

It’s utter madness and I can tell you one thing, any Irish political party who stands by the introduction of such a measure will NEVER get a vote from me again.

By: red_hood

red_hood — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:54:54 +0000

Sorry, link did not work, here it is:
http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/index.php?lang=en

By: red_hood

red_hood — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:52:41 +0000

Hi! There is some information about data retention in Germany on , which is a workgroup dealing with the new law. But why does the Irish government want to enact such a law or directive? There has been long struggle for the freedom people have today, so why has it become worthless over night?

By: dom

dom — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:39:38 +0000

@Paul Walsh: this is kind of special with the german legal system.
At all times a (internet/phone or similar) provider in Germany stored connection data for six months for accounting reasons only and was obliged to delete them afterwards. Within this period access to the data was possible on a court decision or for secret services to prevent “terror”. With the new law on data retention that came into effect this January any connection data must be stored for a duration of 6 months. (In fact there is a difference between these, as until last year most internet connection data -as mostly accounted for by a flatrate- was not allowed to be stored) These new data must be revealed to police forces and/or state lawyers on a criminal court decision to prevent serious crimes or to prosecute them. There is no regulation for a direct access by executive forces to these new data, so they must be kept seperate. In fact NO provider has developed means to do this, yet. Beyond the data retention there is also a new law to strenghten “rights of intellectual property”. This should provide instruments to access connection data due to a civil court decision, but just those who are held for accounting purposes as the new telecommunication law targets only “serious crimes”. Nonetheless, even before the later law was in effect, the entertainment industry and their lawyers tried to get hold of connection data directly from providers. As said above there is up to now no procedure in place to keep both types of connection data seperated yet. (Most providers said this openly, as there are no fines due to the new telecommunication law until 2009 in effect.) Since January companies still try to approach providers directly and beyond that to get hold of both kind of data. (Unfortunately I am not aware of english news about this topics and can therefore provide no link – but i.e. http://www.heise.de gives loads of german news about it)

By: Paul Walsh

Paul Walsh — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:00:43 +0000

Dom,

You mentioned something about Germany. Would you mind giving me a link as I am not too sure what you are referencing.

To the Administrator, have ayou got an RSS feed I (or we) can subscribe to, cos as far as I know if I want to read updates here, I have to keep visting this site.

By: Terence

Terence — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:25:37 +0000

This law is simply a direct attack on our privacy. The government has no right snooping in on our private email and internet surfing.

It can only lead to a gross abuse of power and have a negative Orwellian effect on our freedoms.

By: dom

dom — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:53:42 +0000

and it will get certainly worse as an example from Germany may teach us: even before the corresponding german law was in effect, companies prepared measures to get hold of these private data. The most famous excuse: breaches of copyright…

By: Administrator

Administrator — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:29:57 +0000

Steve White – Yes. The fact that this surveillance doesn’t require a judge issued warrant is critical. At the moment there is only an internal Garda procedure to act as a safeguard.