Latest Twitter Feed from PrivacyInt

• RT @dgwbirch: Octopus sells customers personal data without their permission http://is.gd/dSvyy [HK transit and e-money scheme]
• RT @privacy_a: I want 1 too! want ! want! RT: @Beautyon_ BlackBerry server in #China? #India wants a snoop unit 2 http://bit.ly/cXCwYk
• RT @privacy_a: Saul Alinsky lives! Check out yes.men.fix.the.world torrent CC distro #privacy #bhopal
• RT @normative: As usual, @AdamSerwer is right about surveillance. Somewhat more surprisingly, so is Glenn Beck: http://bit.ly/bXgqw0
• RT @normative: Harper on the NSL power grab. Concise but effective. http://j.mp/beEPys
• RT @privacy_a: Who's your daddy then? NSA teletap world's largest db http://bit.ly/a30lHn but UIDAI claims bigger http://bit.ly/aV9Ajb
• RT @aho: oh dear. it's a banner day for technology-enabled history geekdom: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ hurrah!
• RT @LossofPrivacy: Radiation Questions Over a Body Scanner http://nyti.ms/bE5eJ9
• RT @tobystevens: Wi-spy: if I break into a jeweller's but steal nothing of value, and claim it was an accident, do I get off the hook?
• @ICOnews Why does Australia http://bit.ly/aN8fz4 and other regulators see problems with Google wi-spy and yet you do not?

About Privacy International 17/03/2010

Privacy International (PI) is a human rights group formed in 1990 as a watchdog on surveillance and privacy invasions by governments and corporations. PI is based in London, England, and has an office in Washington, D.C. We have campaigned across the world to protect people against intrusion by governments and corporations that seek to erode this fragile right. We believe that privacy forms part of the bedrock of freedoms, and our goal has always been to use every means to preserve it. For more information please click here. To donate to PI please click here. Follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook group.

Top News

Civil society groups call for end to telecommunications data retention 28/06/2010
More than 100 organisations from 23 European countries asked EU to repeal data retention law. Signatories include civil liberties, data protection and human rights associations as well as crisis line and emergency call operators, professional associations of journalists, jurists and doctors, trade unions, consumer organisations and industry associations.

European Parliament calls on search engine companies to spy on all EU citizens 24/06/2010
PI to mount campaign to defeat draconian, ill-informed, unlawful and deeply intrusive imposition to require internet search companies to retain search requests of all European citizens.

UK Police begin investigation into Google Wi-Fi grab 22/06/2010
Crime reference number 2318672/10 was today issued by London's Metropolitan Police, marking the commencement of investigations into Google for alleged criminal interception of Wireless content. Privacy International, which brought the complaint, has been briefed by police on the likely path the investigation will take.

Facebook founder faces death sentence in Pakistan 17/06/2010
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is facing prosecution under a Pakistan penal code that allows for sentence of death for blasphemy. The move to prosecute Zuckerberg parallels the government's attempts to shut down a substantial spectrum of internet activity.

PI launches new technology site 16/06/2010
Privacy International today launched "Cracking the Black Box"boxcrack.net, a site devoted to discovering the answers to key technical mysteries behind some of the world's most controversial IT systems. The site encourages experts and whistleblowers to help resolve crucial questions about how technology is designed and deployed. The first two issues being addressed are the Google Wi-Fi controversy and the EU proposal to retain search data.

Google Wi-Fi audit reveals criminal intent by the company 09/06/2010
Google today published an audit on its blog of the code used to collect Wi-Fi data as part of the company's global Street View operation. The report asserts that the system had intent to identify and store all unencrypted Wi-Fi content. This analysis establishes that Google did, beyond reasonable doubt, have intent to systematically intercept and record the content of communications and thus places the company at risk of criminal prosecution in almost all the 30 jurisdictions in which the system was used.

Plan to retain all EU search data is unlawful and absurd 04/06/2010
Privacy International is deeply concerned about Written Declaration 29, which positions the setting up of a European Early Warning Service for paedophiles and sex offenders by requiring retention and analysis of web searches throughout the EU. The initiative is unlawful and the consequences will cause grave harm to genuine efforts to protect children.

PI responds to Google's Wifi grab 14/05/2010
In its company blog Google today revealed that a "mistake" has resulted in WiFi content data being collected worldwide by StreetView cars since 2007. Can we ever believe a company's claim ever again?

Privacy and the new UK government 13/05/2010
Privacy and the new UK government: the local and international implications, and open letter from PI's Director to our Trustees, Advisory Board supporters and partners.

An Interview with Google on Government Access to Personal Information 27/04/2010
For the past couple of months we have been discussing with Google their transparency plans regarding governments accessing data held by Google. Last week Google released initial data on how many requests for data were coming from which governments. We congratulate Google on this first step, and we believe that by seeking answers to some additional questions, greater clarity may yet emerge.

Messages on our 20th Anniversary 19/03/2010
Some of the kind words said about us at our 20th anniversary party in London at the Law Society on March 18th, 2010.

Key PI Resources

UN Human Rights Rapporteur calls for UN to act on privacy protections 21/01/2010
The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism published his report on privacy and anti-terrorism powers. PI staff members advised the Special Rapporteur on this project. The report calls for UN action on privacy.

PI Releases 2009 annual report 16/12/2009
Every year, Privacy International releases its annual report summarising our practices, policies, and activities. We discuss our plans for future research and campaigns.

Leading surveillance societies in the EU and the World 2007 28/12/2007

Privacy International's rankings of privacy protection around the world.

Overview of Privacy 17/12/2007
Privacy is a fundamental human right. It underpins human dignity and other values such as freedom of association and freedom of speech. It has become one of the most important human rights of the modern age. Here we review this essential human right.

News and Developments

German Federal Constitutional Court overturns law on data retention 09/03/2010
Germany’s highest court last week declared that a controversial law requiring telecommunications data to be stored for six months for possible use by law enforcement as unconstitutional. The ruling demands that all data stored so far has to be deleted immediately. The court did not rule out the retention of data as such but demands stricter controls to be put in place before the law can come into force again.

Legal and Policy Developments

Indian High Court overrules homosexuality ban on privacy grounds 02/07/2009
The High Court in Delhi has ruled in favour of a challenge of the constitutional validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC), which criminally penalizes what is described as "unnatural offences", to the extent the said provision criminalises consensual sexual acts between adults in private.

PI Reports

Privacy as a Political Right 12/05/2010
PI analysis of why we must refocus on privacy as a Political Right. A version of this piece was published by Index on Censorship in April 2010.

PI report on APEC developments March 2010 29/03/2010
PI reports on the APEC meetings in Hiroshima, Japan, February 2010.

Maps

Global Map of Data Protection 29/05/2010 Map showing countries that have adopted comprehensive data protection acts or are in the process of doing so. (Last updated May 2010)

Global Freedom of Information Map 26/06/2009 Map of 140+ countries that have adopted or are in the process of adopting comprehensive freedom of information acts. (Last updated June 2009)

Press Releases

Facebook announcement: a promising start but mainly a red herring 26/05/2010
Privacy International's response to the latest Facebook announcement is one of disappointment and frustration. Rather than being a bold step forward in the advancement of consumer rights, the latest changes achieve little in terms of improving the overall privacy challenge that Facebook and its users need to navigate.

PI announces joint project on European Privacy and Human Rights 13/01/2010
Privacy International and its partners, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Center for Media and Communications Studies (CMCS), are pleased to announce their joint project on European Privacy and Human Rights (EPHR). The European Commission’s Special Programme “Fundamental Rights and Citizenship” is funding this project, and it will start February 1, 2010.

PI warns that new ISP interception plans will be illegal 26/11/2009
PI presents its concerns regarding Virgin Media's announcement that it is about to commence a trial of Deep Packet Inspection technology by Detica, known as CView.

Campaigns

An open letter to EU privacy commissioners regarding deletion of Google WiFi data 18/05/2010
A number of European privacy and data protection regulators have instructed Google to irrevocably destroy all WiFi data collected since 2007 in the course of the company's StreetView project. We urge Google to ignore these instruction and secure the data until an investigation is complete.

Request for Proposals for Visualising Privacy 13/05/2010
Privacy International is seeking to identify and select an outside independent organisation(s) to develop a selection of innovative applications and tools to help people understand, visualise and enable privacy protection.

A Project on European Privacy and Human Rights 28/04/2010
Privacy International is pleased to announce commencement of the European Privacy and Human Rights (EPHR) Project in partnership with the Center for Media and Communications Studies at Central European University (CEU), and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), funded by the European Commission under the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme.

PI Commentary on the endless search for profiling 06/01/2010
PI staff review the options for information-based profiling. This analysis was published in the European Voice.

PI statement on proposed deployments of body scanners in airports 31/12/2009
In light of the renewed interest in body-scanning technologies at airports, PI has released a statement outlining its continued concerns about the deployment of technologies that provide graphic images of passengers' bodies.

Legal Library

Mexican law on protection of personal data held by private parties 15/07/2010
Full english text of law.