Statewatch News online, 12 January 2004
http://www.statewatch.org/news
1. UK: Extradition legislation slipped through
parliament over Christmas holiday
- controversial UK-US treaty ratified;
- use of Statutory Instrument "an abuse of
democracy" - shadow Home Secretary;
- UK Extradition Act 2003 given full effect, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/06extradition.htm
2. UK Civil Contingencies Bill published -
Britain's "Patriot Act" (Text of bill and
commentary)
- controversial clause on human rights dropped but
overall powers remain as great a danger to
democracy as ever;
- powers to ban protests and travel unchanged;
- powers to control or withdraw e-mails and
websites services added, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/05uk-civil-contingencies-Bill.htm
3. USA to use EU PNR data for CAPPS II testing
despite assurances that agreement would not cover
it, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/04eu-us-pnr-cappsII.htm
4. Italy to retain communications data for five
years, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/03italy-dataretention.htm
5. Flights from France cancelled due to "mistaken
identity" by US security agencies using PNR, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/02france-banned-flights.htm
6. European Arrest Warrant limps into force:
Report and documentation, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/01euro-arrest-warrant.htm
7. EU issues updated list of "terrorist
organisations and persons": Lists and
documentation, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/dec/19terrlists.htm
8. UK: Committee of senior parliamentarians calls
for “Britain's Guantanamo Bay” to be scrapped as
"a matter of urgency", see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/dec/16ukguantanamo.htm
The Statewatch website during the year 2003 had
471,696 visitor sessions and 2,141,960 "hits" -
this compares with 305,195 user sessions with
1,174,803 "hits" in 2002. Over 5,000 people are
now on our e-mail list and get regular updates - a
Happy New Year to all our users!
"News in brief":
http://www.statewatch.org/news/Newsinbrief.htm
9. British Computer Society, the professional body
for the UK IT industry has joined the critics of
the Government's proposed identity cards [link]
10. USA: Data Debase - The powerful technology
known as data mining and how, in the
government's hands, it could become a civil
libertarian's nightmare, from American Prospect
[link]
11. France: France to fingerprint for tourist
visas, Agence France Press, December 17, 2003
[link]
________________________________________________
Statewatch: Monitoring the state and civil
liberties in Europe
PO Box 1516, London, N16 0EW. UK
tel: +44(0)20-8802-1882; fax: +44(0)20-8880-1727
http://www.statewatch.org/news 1. UK: Extradition legislation slipped through
parliament over Christmas holiday
- controversial UK-US treaty ratified;
- use of Statutory Instrument "an abuse of
democracy" - shadow Home Secretary;
- UK Extradition Act 2003 given full effect, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/06extradition.htm 2. UK Civil Contingencies Bill published -
Britain's "Patriot Act" (Text of bill and
commentary)
- controversial clause on human rights dropped but
overall powers remain as great a danger to
democracy as ever;
- powers to ban protests and travel unchanged;
- powers to control or withdraw e-mails and
websites services added, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/05uk-civil-contingencies-Bill.htm 3. USA to use EU PNR data for CAPPS II testing
despite assurances that agreement would not cover
it, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/04eu-us-pnr-cappsII.htm 4. Italy to retain communications data for five
years, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/03italy-dataretention.htm 5. Flights from France cancelled due to "mistaken
identity" by US security agencies using PNR, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/02france-banned-flights.htm 6. European Arrest Warrant limps into force:
Report and documentation, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/jan/01euro-arrest-warrant.htm 7. EU issues updated list of "terrorist
organisations and persons": Lists and
documentation, see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/dec/19terrlists.htm 8. UK: Committee of senior parliamentarians calls
for “Britain's Guantanamo Bay” to be scrapped as
"a matter of urgency", see:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/dec/16ukguantanamo.htm The Statewatch website during the year 2003 had
471,696 visitor sessions and 2,141,960 "hits" -
this compares with 305,195 user sessions with
1,174,803 "hits" in 2002. Over 5,000 people are
now on our e-mail list and get regular updates - a
Happy New Year to all our users!
"News in brief":
http://www.statewatch.org/news/Newsinbrief.htm 9. British Computer Society, the professional body
for the UK IT industry has joined the critics of
the Government's proposed identity cards [link]
10. USA: Data Debase - The powerful technology
known as data mining and how, in the
government's hands, it could become a civil
libertarian's nightmare, from American Prospect
[link]
11. France: France to fingerprint for tourist
visas, Agence France Press, December 17, 2003
[link]
________________________________________________
Statewatch: Monitoring the state and civil
liberties in Europe
PO Box 1516, London, N16 0EW. UK
tel: +44(0)20-8802-1882; fax: +44(0)20-8880-1727
