Land of the Free isn't free at allUS near Bottom of Global Privacy IndexBy Nick Farrell: Thursday, 03 January 2008, 8:28 AMTHE former British colony of Virginia, whose revolutionary founders rallied under the banner of freedom, has labelled one of the most intrusive government's in the world.According to London-based Privacy International, the US has fallen to near bottom of the Global Privacy Index with the government allowed to spy on most aspects of citizens' lives.Simon Davies, Privacy International director, said that individual privacy is under threat around the world as governments continue introducing surveillance and information-gathering measures.Greece, Romania and Canada were the best countries in the world to live if you want to be left alone, the survey worked out. Ironically noting that while privacy was getting better in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe, it was suffering in Western Europe.The worst places in the world for a lack of privacy was Malaysia, Russia and China however Blighty and the United States were falling fast as they became " endemic surveillance societies."The US tendency to monitor people without warrants made it a nightmare place to live. Blighty was falling fast because it wanted national identity cards, lacked government accountability and is the proud owner of the world's largest network of surveillance cameras.
FBI wants to build a massive biometrics databasePalm prints, retinal scans and tatoosBy Egan Orion: Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 12:52 PM"...there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress." -- Mark TwainWITH THE EXCUSE that it wants to keep track of criminals and terrorists, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) plans to collect a massive biometrics database of people's physical characteristics, right down to the smallest details.In coming days, the FBI is expected to award a $1 billion, 10-year contract to develop such a national database that will contain all kinds of biometric data, including photographs, fingerprints, palm prints, retinal scans, and even scar and tatoo mappings.The biometric data collected will be linked to personal information including names, addresses and driver's licence and social security numbers.In addition, such a database would reasonably be expected to also catalogue detail transactional data such as job applications, airplane boardings, border crossings and contacts with police and other law officers, in addition to any arrests and convictions.Predictably, the official who will likely be in charge of Big Brother's biometrics database is all for it. The FBI's Biometric Services section chief, Kimberly Del Greco, said that the database is "important to protect the borders to keep the terrorists out, protect our citizens, our neighbors, our children so they can have good jobs, and have a safe country to live in."Citizen privacy advocates at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) aren't convinced, and are anything but enthusiastic. Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Technology and Liberty Project, said, "It's the beginning of the surveillance society where you can be tracked anywhere, any time and all your movements, and eventually all your activities will be tracked and noted and correlated."The FBI has reportedly promised to protect individual's personal information and only collect information and biometric data on criminals and those applying for employment in sensitive positions.But the ACLU's Steinhardt doesn't believe the FBI will be able to restrain itself from gathering and collating more data. "This had started out being a program to track or identify criminals," Steinhardt said. "Now we're talking about large swaths of the population -- workers, volunteers in youth programs. Eventually, it's going to be everybody."If the FBI really wants to collect fingerprints, retinal scans and tatoo maps on criminals and people in sensitive jobs, perhaps it ought to start with everyone in the US Congress, all the corporate lobbyists in Washington DC, all Federal and state judges and prosecutors, and everyone working for the FBI and all other Federal government agencies, as well as all the personnel in state and local law enforcement agencies. Only then should the FBI start taking citizens' biometrics.If the FBI can get all those people to go along with this plan, more power to it. µ
US challenged over laptop seizuresTravellers have their gadgets swipedBy Mark Ballard: Thursday, 07 February 2008, 1:35 PMRIGHTS CAMPAIGNERS are suing the US government today after a raft of complaints from travellers who had their electronic gizmos seized by border guards.US customs officers have been seizing travelers' laptops, MP3 players, telephones and other electronic devices and searching them for terrorist literature, child pornography and other criminal evidence.But the Electronic Frontiers Foundation and Asian Law Caucus willrequest in a Californian lawsuit today that the US explain if there is rhyme or reason to the seizures.Maria Udy, a British citizen had her laptop taken by a border guard who labeled her a "security concern" when she was returning home from a business trip to the US in December 2006, according to the Washington Post today.Guards are taking devices and passwords, ripping contents including web browsing histories, emails and documents and returning laptops over a week later. Udy told the Post that the US has still not returned her laptop.The Association of Corporate Travel Executives has collected anunspecified number of similar complaints. Business travelers have been warned not to travel with sensitive corporate or personal information on their laptops, but to access data online.The lawsuit draws from 15 cases similar to Udy's. Almost all of those involved where of Muslim, Middle Eastern or South Asian descent. The US Customs & Border Agency denied racial discrimination.A year ago, the EFF had made a Freedom of Information request for the policy behind the US seizure of laptops. It did not receive a reply. Its lawsuit is also asking for a clarification of what rights the US has to ask travelers about their political, religious and other views.Challenged in this way before, the US has conceded that its border guards should respect the rights to privacy of US citizens. But foreigners were denied the same right.However, after much barracking from the EU over its collection ofPassenger Name Record data about travelers, the US agreed to extend similar rights to EU citizens, by way of a gentleman's agreement.
