Date: Tue, 02 Feb 1999 09:21:50 -0800
From: Jonathan Kratter <jonathan-AT-kratter.com>
Subject: Re: Welcome to new listeners


Hey Andy... I think there's two typos in the article...

Enfopol is spelled GESTAPO, and European Union is spelled REICH.

just a few helpful suggestions...
jonathan


At 01:16 PM 2/2/99 +0000, Andy wrote:
>Did anyone else catch this in the Irish Times?
>
>
>ENFOPOL 98: The European Union is laying the foundation for an
>agreement that will allow law enforcement officials to eavesdrop on
>Internet, fax and mobile phone conversations and will force the
>communications providers to foot the bill.
>
>The plan, known as Enfopol 98, was tabled behind closed doors by the
>European Justice and Home Affairs Council in December. Its purpose is
>to combat serious crime, such as drug trafficking, child abuse and
>terrorism.
>
>But it has been criticised by the Green Party MEP, Ms Patricia
>McKenna, for what she described as its "unacceptable" secrecy. "This
>has not been discussed in either the European Parliament or in the
>parliaments of the member countries," she said.
>
>What concerns MEPs is that there is no clear definition of what
>constitutes a serious crime, and that law enforcement officials do not
>have to obtain a court order before an interception.
>
>"Anybody or any company involved in any crime can be tapped," said Mr
>Tony Bunyan, director of Statewatch, the London-based civil liberties
>group. "It's simply at the discretion of the police officer
>concerned."
>
>Enfopol will enable police to track and record email and mobile phone
>calls across international boundaries through real-time remote access
>points or backdoors.
>
>For instance, Internet service providers must provide police forces
>with access to their computer systems so that they can track email
>traffic.
>
>The agreement also includes a memorandum of understanding between
>Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. So law
>enforcement officials from any of these states can eavesdrop on each
>other's citizens.
>
>In a parliamentary question time earlier this month, Ms McKenna asked
>the Justice Commission to debate the matter openly before agreeing to
>measures that will have such a widespread impact on the privacy of EU
>citizens.
>
>"I also asked the Commission what exact legal redress is available to
>citizens should they wish to challenge these rules," said Ms McKenna.
>"But I did not get an answer."
>
>Enfopol is similar to the controversial US wire-tap legislation known
>as the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act or CALEA.
>Because of its controversial nature, CALEA has been languishing on the
>desk of the US Federal Communications Commission since 1994.
>
>The legislation, developed with the assistance of the FBI, will be
>part of the EU's Draft Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance.
>
>Commission officials told the Parliament on January 12th that Enfopol
>was simply a technical update to 1995 EU terrestrial wiretap
>legislation. However, the extraordinary powers afforded by new
>technology and the inclusion of nonEuropean states gives this
>legislation a wider scope than any previous law.
>
>"We only know about this because the Enfopol 98 document was leaked to
>a German Internet magazine Telepolis," said Ms McKenna.
>
>Under the current plan Internet service providers and the operators of
>satellite based telecommunications companies such as Iridium and
>Globalstar must also track targets where ever they travel.
>
>They must give police the target's full name, address and account
>details such as credit card and personal identification numbers.
>
>The agreement will operate on the principle that all encrypted
>messages should be capable of being broken.
>
>"I have no objection to the police force monitoring serious
>criminals," said Mr Glyn Ford, a British Labour MEP and a member of
>EU's Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs Committees. "But what is
>missing here is accountability, clear guidelines as to who they can
>listen to and in what circumstances these laws apply."
>
>At present police are required to obtain permission in each country
>they wish to monitor and are therefore accountable to the local
>judicial system.
>
>"I don't think there is anybody in England or Ireland who could not
>think of several cases where the police abused their power," said Mr
>Bunyan. 
>
>
> + Copyright: The Irish Times Contact:
>itwired-AT-irish-times.com  
>>AS
>
>
>
>





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