Accused: UK behind push for new snooping rights

[Caspar Bowden]

> From: ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> [mailto:ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk]On Behalf Of
> Roland Perry
...
> Meanwhile, although the UK would like member states to have
> the option
> of Data Conservation or not, as a local decision (rather than a
> one-size-fits-all across the whole of Europe), they insist that they
> have no plans to make that decision in the member state called the UK.
>
> How very altruistic!

(Implied skepticism noted)

As Duke of Wellington said on being asked if he was a certain Mr.Smith "if
you believe that you'll believe anything".

More here...

http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,44890,00.html
EU Ratifies Long Data Retention
By Steve Kettmann

11:20 a.m. June 28, 2001 PDT

 BERLIN -- Privacy advocates are decrying a move this week by the Council of
the European Union to give European police broader access to information
about the e-mails and Internet-use patterns of the continent's citizens.

"It's one more direction toward a police state," said Ilka Schroeder, a
Green Party member of the European Parliament who drafted an opinion for the
Industry Committee opposing the expansion of surveillance.

"They restrict peoples' rights to demonstrate against fortress Europe, as we
saw in Gotenborg when street police shot at people," she said. "Now they are
also trying to limit any kind of e-protest. By this surveillance they also
of course go against political opponents."