On the second day, 18 April 2012, a live-in-field demonstration of the TALOS system capabilities and presentation of its subsystems was successfully performed. TALOS Project Coordinator dr Mariusz Andrzejczak was the host of the day, and Jakub Główka from PIAP was the event’s manager.

A live operational scenario was used to present the functionalities of the TALOS technology demonstrator, which has been developed throughout the 4 years of project works. The real-time setting of an action was followed by the detailed presentations of the main TALOS subsystems during the technical session.

TALOS Demo Day gathered over 100 participants, with representatives of Border Guards from different European countries, public administration and research sector, business and media.

Among the honourable guests were newly appointed TALOS Project Officer Ms. Agnieszka Marciniak (REA), EC delegated Project Reviewers Mr. Gregorio Ameyugo Catalan (FRONTEX) and Mr. Uist Macdonald (Ceres Computers Consultants Ltd.), as well as FRONTEX Director of Capacity Building – Mr. Erik Berglund (chairman of the TALOS End User Advisory Board) and EC DG Enterprise and Industry representative Mr. Paolo Salieri (TALOS first Project Officer).

After the TALOS Demo Day event – on the 19 April 2012 – the last EUAB meeting/4th Workshop with end-users, followed by the Final Review meeting of the TALOS project were conducted.

The event has been awarded with the Honorary Patronage of the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education prof. Barbara Kudrycka.

Source: http://talos-border.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93:talos-demo-day&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=59

Die deutsche Delegation führte Interviews mit einer Auswahl an Flüchtlingen durch, um 200 Personen auszuwählen, die im Zuge des Resettlement-Verfahrens nach Deutschland aufgenommen werden. Unter den 3300 Flüchtlingen befinden sich 28601 Personen, die nach ihren Interviews mit Mitarbeitenden des UNHCR, dem Hohen Flüchtlingskommissar der Vereinten Nationen, als Flüchtlinge anerkannt wurden. Sie warten schon seit nun mehr als einem Jahr in diesem Camp in der Wüste darauf, dass die angekündigten Resettlements vorgenommen werden. Das Resettlement- Verfahren läuft jedoch nur sehr schleppend an und voraussichtlich wird es sich noch lange hinziehen und nicht genügend Plätze für alle Flüchtlinge geben. Deutschland hat angekündigt 200 Personen und insbesondere Familien aufzunehmen2. Diese Zahl ist sowohl in Relation zur Bevölkerungszahl Deutschlands als auch im Vergleich zu den Aufnahmezahlen anderer Staaten recht gering.3

Insgesamt flohen fast eine Millionen Menschen vor dem Krieg in Libyen, viele aus Angst vor den Bomben der internationalen Truppen. Unter Anderem waren 103 deutsche Soldaten während des NATO-Einsatzes in Libyen an der Auswahl der Angriffsziele beteiligt4.

Das postrevolutionäre Tunesien reagierte auf die Flüchtenden, trotz der eigenen innenpolitischen Probleme, mit der Öffnung der Grenze für Menschen jeglicher Nationalität. Die Flüchtenden waren überwiegend libysche StaatsbürgerInnen und wurden in Privathaushalten aufgenommen oder in Sporthallen untergebracht. Neben der Unterstützung von internationalen Organisationen, engagierten sich etliche selbstorganisierte Gruppen, die Spenden und Lebensmittel für die Flüchtlinge sammelten. Dabei war das Aufnehmen einer solch großen Flüchtlingszahl für das kleine Tunesien mit 10,5 Millionen Einwohnenden eine Herausforderung. Bürger berichteten beispielsweise von einer zeitweiligen Trinkwasserknappheit. Der Großteil der libyschen Flüchtlinge und derer aus Drittstaaten, konnten mittlerweile in ihre Herkunftsländer zurückkehren. 3,700 DrittstaatlerInnen blieben jedoch im Shoucha Flüchtlingslager und baten den UNHCR um Schutz.

Strapazen im Camp

AktivistInnen, die das Choucha-Camp besuchten, betonen, dass der psychische Stress, unter den vorausgewählten Flüchtlingen gerade vor angekündigten Resettlement-Interviews enorm hoch sei, da eine Ablehnung durch die deutsche Delegation weitere Monate unter der brennenden Wüstensonne bedeuten würde. „Außerdem sind die Auswahlpraxen der Aufnahmeländer extrem zynisch. Die Art und Weise, wie schutzsuchende Menschen, die offiziell als Flüchtlinge anerkannt wurden, ausgesucht werden, erinnert an das Auswählen von Waren. Durch die Aufnahme geringer Zahlen von Flüchtlingen, stellen sich die Regierungen von EU-Staaten, als humanitär dar. Obwohl die EU wirtschaftlich auf Migration angewiesen ist und von dieser profitiert, wird weiterhin auf militärische Abschottung der EU-Außengrenzen gegen Migrierende beharrt. Das Mittelmeer wird so zu einer Todesfalle, durch die allein im letzten Jahr über 1500 Menschen ums Leben kamen.“, so die Aktivistin Pia Luka von einer Unterstützungsgruppe.

Luka weiter „Problematisch sind jedoch nicht nur die Lebensbedingungen im Flüchtlingslager Choucha und die Dauer des Resettlement-Verfahrens, sondern auch die Verfahren der Flüchtlingsanerkennung an sich. Die etwa 300 Personen, die sich trotz ihrer Ablehnung durch den UNHCR noch in Choucha aufhalten, befinden sich in einer perspektivlosen Situation.“ Ihnen wird vom UNHCR die freiwillige Rückkehr in ihr Herkunftsland oder nach Libyen nahegelegt, da sie sich seit der Ablehnung durch den UNHCR illegal in Tunesien aufhalten. Die Gruppe der abgelehnten Flüchtlinge jedoch führt verschiedenste Beispiele von Fehlern an, die dem UNHCR bei der Flüchtlingsstatusbestimmung unterlaufen sind. So kam es aufgrund von fehlender professioneller Übersetzung zu Fällen, in denen die Parteilichkeit der Übersetzenden zur Ablehnung der Flüchtlinge führte5. Ein Bericht des Forums der Abgelehnten Flüchtlinge von Choucha sagt: „Wir mussten Fälle von inkompetenten ÜbersetzerInnen erleben. Zudem wurde über einige Communities auf generelle Weise entschieden, ungeachtet der individuellen Verfolgung, die Einzelne in ihrem Heimatland fürchten. Die meisten WestafrikanerInnen wurden schlicht aufgrund ihrer Herkunftsländer abgelehnt.“ Die abgelehnten Flüchtlinge beharren auf ihrer Forderung der Neueröffnung ihrer Fälle, durch ein neutrales UNHCR-Team, welches nicht unter Notfallbedingungen arbeitet.

Am Montag den 14. Mai brachten vor allem die abgelehnten Flüchtlinge ihre Forderungen noch einmal klar zum Ausdruck. Sie veranstalteten eine friedliche Demonstration unter der Beteiligung vieler hundert Menschen vor dem Büro des UNHCR in Choucha. Das letzte Jahr in Choucha hat gezeigt, dass die Arbeit des UNHCR nicht aufgeht. Flüchtlinge, die Schutz suchen, harren seit über einem Jahr in einem Wüstencamp ohne adäquate psychische Unterstützung zu erhalten aus. Geographisch und gesellschaftlich isoliert, sind sie kaum in der Lage gegen Verfahrensfehler des UNHCR vorzugehen und sind zum Warten verdammt.

Choucha Migrant Solidarity,

1 Siehe UNHCR Factsheet Choucha April 2012, auf Nachfrage bei dem UNHCR erhältlich.
2 Pressemitteilung der Bundesregierung: http://www.auswaertigesamt.de/DE/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2012/120314-Fluechtligssschutz_TUN.html
3 http://www.unhcr.se/en/who-we-help/men/artikel/7b9e313a3eb54f4d285819a6a2cd5a90/the-nordics-come-to-
Chousha-refugees.html
4 http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2011-09/libyen-nato-soldaten
5 Siehe: http://ffm-online.org/2012/03/26/choucha-marz-2012/#more-297

Source: email

Als der Libyenkrieg im vergangenen Jahr eskalierte, traten viele tausend Menschen die Flucht an. Neben Libyern flohen auch Menschen aus subsaharischen Ländern und Asien, die in Libyen gelebt und gearbeitet haben. Die Fluchtrouten führten in alle Himmelsrichtungen. In den Osten nach Ägypten, durch die Sahara nach Tschad und Niger, über das Mittelmeer nach Italien oder gen Westen nach Tunesien. Die libysche Hauptstadt Tripolis ist nur etwa 150 Km von der tunesischen Grenze entfernt und so trat ein Großteil derer, die die Stadt verließen, die Flucht nach Tunesien an.
Die meisten der hunderttausenden libyschen Flüchtlinge wurde von tunesischen lokalen Komitees und privaten Familien aufgenommen. Für die Subsaharier, vor allem diejenigen, die Schutz vor politischer Verfolgung in ihren Heimatländern suchten, errichtete der UNHCR (Hoher Flüchtlingskommissar der UN) im Februar 2011 das Flüchtlingslager Shousha.

Das Camp

Shousha liegt nur wenige Kilometer von der libyschen Grenze entfernt auf einer tunesischen Militärbasis mitten in der Wüste. Die klimatischen Bedingungen vor Ort sind harsch, im Winter regnet es stark und im Sommer ist die Hitze in den Zelten kaum auszuhalten. Zu Anfang lebten knapp 20 000 Menschen in Shousha und umliegenden Lagern. Der Großteil von ihnen trat durch die IOM (Internationale Organisation für Migration) forciert die so genannte „freiwillige Rückkehr“ an und reiste zurück in das jeweilige Herkunftsland. Die übrigen 3400 Menschen verweilen nun seit über einem Jahr in diesem Wüstenlager, sie haben bei dem UNHCR einen Asylantrag gestellt.

Die Anerkannten

3000 Menschen wurden vom UNHCR als Flüchtlinge anerkannt. Sie warten nun seit langer Zeit darauf einen Platz im Resettlement-Verfahren zu bekommen. Über das Resettlement können die anerkannten Flüchtlinge legal nach Europa, in die USA, Kanada oder Australien reisen, dafür müssen sie jedoch eine weitere Auswahlprozedur über sich ergehen lassen. Das ganze Verfahren verschlingt sehr viel Zeit, die die Flüchtlinge wartend, meist ohne große Aktivitäten zwischen Zelt und Essensausgabe verbringen. Zudem kommt, dass Personen, die nach dem 1.12.2011 im Camp eingetroffen sind, ungeachtet ihrer Flüchtlingsanerkennung nicht zum Resettlement-Verfahren zugelassen werden. Viele der später Angekommenen, haben ihre späte Ankunft nicht selbst zu verschulden, einige wurden beispielsweise wochenlang an der tunesisch-libyschen Grenze aufgehalten, andere wurden von der tunesischen Marine auf dem Mittelmeer gefasst und nach Shousha gebracht.

Die Abgelehnten

Etwa 300 Menschen wurden vom UNHCR abgelehnt und somit zu „illegalen“ MigrantInnen gemacht. Für sie gibt es derweil keine Perspektive. Der UNHCR verlangt von ihnen entweder illegal zurück nach Libyen zu gehen (was für Schwarze derzeit noch einem Selbstmord gleichkäme) oder mit IOM in ihr Herkunftsland zu reisen. Beide Optionen sind für die verbleibenden 300 inakzeptabel und somit haben sie sich dazu entschlossen für ihr Recht auf Bewegungs- und Niederlassungsfreiheit zu kämpfen. Die

Statusbestimmung

Anhand ihres konkreten Beispiels aus Shousha wird klar, wie willkürlich die Unterscheidung zwischen „wahren“ Flüchtlingen und „illegalen“ MigrantInnen nach der Genfer Flüchtlingskonvention ist. So klagen sie beispielsweise an, dass der UNHCR in Shousha bei Interviews keine professionelle Übersetzung bereitstellt. In dem Fall einer Community soll sogar ein Übersetzer einer verfeindeten Konfliktpartei eingesetzt worden sein. Außerdem hatten die Flüchtlinge keinerlei Beratung, Rechtsbeistand oder Informationen über das Verfahren des UNHCR. „Zudem wurde über einige Communities auf generelle Weise entschieden, ungeachtet der individuellen Verfolgung, die Einzelne in ihrem Heimatland fürchten. Die meisten Westafrikaner wurden schlicht aufgrund ihrer Herkunftsländer abgelehnt.“, schreibt das Komitee der abgelehnten Flüchtlinge von Shousha in ihrem Communiqué vom April 2012.

Wir fordern akzeptable Perspektiven für alle Menschen in Shousha!

NoBorder Ffm

Source: email

Es soll einer der größten Datenspeicher der Welt werden, das “Utah Data Center” in der Salzwüste nahe Bluffdale im Südwesten der USA. Bauherr ist die National Security Agency (NSA), und gespeichert werden soll dort einfach alles: Weltweit eingefangener E-Mail-Verkehr, Telefonate, Google-Suchen, Facebook-Einträge, Navigationsdaten, Finanzverkehr – alles, was in digitaler oder analoger Form rund um den Erball schwirrt.

Zwei Milliarden Dollar kostet der Komplex die USA, der ein weltweites Spionagesystem vervollständigen soll. Das Datenvolumen der Einrichtung soll in der Größenordnung von Yottabytes bemessen sein. Ein Yottabyte ist eine Billiarde Gigabyte (Handelsübliche Laptops haben derzeit etwa 500 Gigabyte). Ende 2013 soll der Datenspeicher fertig sein. (weiter auf welt.de)

‘Centers of Excellence’ in the Alliance: From idea to reality

A decision to streamline NATO’s command structure, in part through the creation of NATO’S Allied Command Transformation (ACT), was taken as far back as the 2002 Prague Summit. The command seeks to ensure that the military alliance faces its future challenges by enhancing the interoperability of capacities among the member countries, training opportunities and by organizing exercises for testing new doctrines, concepts and operational strategies. The NATO Defense College based in Rome and the NATO School in Germany did not suffice to achieve these goals – either new entities of education, training and analysis were required or the relations between the Alliance and the existing entities were to be strengthened. A decision was made not to establish new schools or think-tanks but to try strengthening the existing ones in NATO member countries in order to coordinate the activities of NATO structures and to meet high quality standards in the areas of strengthening scientific, training and specific expertise and to benefit from national resources of this type.

In pursuit of this vision, the NATO Military Committee approved the concept of the Alliance’s Centers of Excellence at the end of 2003. In the short run, i.e. in 2005 and 2006, the first centers were accredited – the Joint Air Power Competence Center based in Germany and the Center of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism in Turkey respectively. Since then, ACT has already accredited sixteen COEs operating in thirteen NATO member countries. Poland, Slovenia and Italy develop the operation of national institutions and seek their accreditation in the future. Two COEs (in Norway and France) have remained national to this day, i.e. only one country participates in their operation.

As an example, the country of Estonia made a proposal to establish a Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) as early as 2004. While the Alliance was making a decision, Estonians set up CCDCOE premises in conformity with the highest security standards, selected staff and opened the center coordinating the country’s efforts in the area of cyber security in 2006. A year later, negotiations with NATO partners willing to join the activities of the center were initiated. After the famous attacks on Estonian websites in 2007, Estonians issued a report and started bringing forward cooperation projects within the framework of the Alliance. The initiative of our Nordic neighbors proved to be well-timed – it contributed to reaching a cooperation agreement with six partners of the Alliance by the middle of 2008 and obtaining NATO’s accreditation in October the same year. Some countries chose a different way – for instance, in 2009 the Center of Excellence for Military Medicine in Hungary was simultaneously founded by several countries (Hungary, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Romania) and was accredited by NATO in the same year.

Thus, Centers of Excellence are nationally or multinationally sponsored entities that train and educate specialists from NATO member and partner countries through seminars and conferences, assist in doctrine development and set standards, identify lessons learned, improve interoperability, enhance NATO’s capabilities, and test and validate concepts through experimentation. The Centers of Excellence offer expertise and experience in specific areas which are of benefit to the Alliance, while avoiding the duplication of activities already present within NATO headquarters. Nearly all of them are international military organizations, and the establishment, accreditation, preparation for accreditation, coordination of activities and assessment of future centers falls to the responsibility of Allied Command Transformation based in Norfolk, Virginia in the United States. Formally, Centers of Excellence are not part of the NATO command structure and the Alliance does not finance their activities directly, therefore, the COEs are sponsored by Framework Nations, Sponsoring Nations and Contributing Nations. On the other hand, the COEs are part of the network of a wider institutional structure supporting the operation of NATO’s strategic commands and headquarters, through the implementation of agreements, expansion of capacities, etc.

‘Centers of Excellence’ accreditation: What do we need and what do we have?

For a new entity to gain approval, it must first prove its capacity to create added value in the area important to the Alliance’s transformation process. Two aspects play a role in this context – an institution must act within NATO’s responsibility limits and showcase its faculty to create added value. In this context, we may note that energy-security related topics have been on the agenda of the Alliance for a long time; today, NATO does not consider “whether it is necessary” but “how” to contribute to the solution of energy security problems. For instance, at the NATO Summit held in November 2010 – its final declaration provides for a commitment to integrate energy security into NATO’s activities. Hence, Lithuania’s idea to seek NATO’s approval for the center which will monitor processes, organize training and research, carry out expert seminars and exercises, prepare methodical material of response to threats, strengthen the capacities of energy crisis management and the commitments of collective defence, definitely falls within this context.

The requirement for the creation of added value is no less important – with a view to pursuing accreditation. A COE must not only declare its intentions and programs but also have the required experience and specialists capable of executing work in pursuit of strengthening NATO’s capacities for reacting to the most relevant challenges to security. On the one hand, we must admit that we do not have many energy security specialists in Lithuania; they are scattered across individual scientific institutions and public bodies. On the other hand, the problem can be solved by coordinating the activities of such specialists. Professionals meeting high standards of competence can be found at universities, institutes, centers, ministries, authorities and departments – the consolidation of their activities and those of their colleagues from abroad is among the most important objectives of the NATO Center of Excellence. Yet another aspect should not be forgotten – as a rule, not only local scientists or strategists shaping policy and capabilities create added value in an organizations of this type but value is also added by military officers assigned by the armed forces (in particular – in the organization of training courses and exercises, preparation of concepts, strategies, documents of tactical and operational significance), as well as by diplomats (in coordination of cooperation with partners) and specialists in other areas.

Currently, eight persons are employed at the national Energy Security Center under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is used as the basis for the future NATO Center of Excellence. After accreditation, the human resources of the NATO Center of Excellence should increase to approximately 30. Lithuania expects to employ 10 people and to cover all administrative costs. Lithuania’s financial contribution may amount to LTL 1.3 million (370,000 Euro); the total budget of the COE will depend on the number of participating countries and the level of ambition of participants. The funding of the equivalent institution in Tallinn is based on a similar scheme – over one million litas per year is collected from participating countries for operations alone (i.e. exclusive of salaries, maintenance of buildings, etc.); the center might be able to earn additional income to cover the expenses of its activities. Hence, it is obvious that with a view towards pursuing NATO accreditation, Lithuania will not only have to convince partners to join this initiative but to allocate solid financial resources for the maintenance of the center. While there remain a number of administrative steps and hurdles to overcome, Lithuania hopes that, if successful, the NATO ENSEC COE will be put into operation as of 2013.

Key challenges

On his visit to Lithuania in November 2011, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General Gábor Iklódy expressed his support for Lithuania’s position asserting that today the issues of energy security are not the matter of concern of individual countries but for the Alliance in general. According to him, “solidarity on the issue of energy security is severely needed in the Alliance.” In the meantime, NATO member countries tend to approach the issues of energy security from different perspectives; they have their peculiar, often diverging, approaches that rely on national interests. Energy security is often considered an issue of national economic policy, the solution to which the countries tend to associate with their exclusive responsibility. Furthermore, some countries see a more active NATO role in the area of energy security. Still others see NATO engagement on energy security as an attempt to militarize an essentially economic issue. Finally, the issues of energy security is tightly linked with NATO partners – the dependence on energy resources from partner countries, the energy policy of these countries, etc. In the context of NATO members’ varying intensity of energy [import] dependence and in lieu of other cooperation initiatives with partners, diverging positions on NATO’s role and priorities may emerge. To convince member countries to join Lithuania’s initiative by coordinating their diverging approaches is the first challenging task for Lithuania.

The second potential obstacle to successful accreditation –issues of energy security are already a matter of concern for a number of international organizations, starting with the EU, the International Energy Agency, the IAEA and ending with the OSCE. NATO’s endeavor to contribute additional capacities are often seen by these organizations as an aspiration to take over a share of their responsibilities in the field of energy security. Nevertheless, NATO’s New Strategic Concept should at least partially contribute to solving this problem: the concept enumerates at least several areas where NATO could create added value – the protection of critical energy infrastructure, the military application of energy innovations and the promotion of international cooperation. In these areas a NATO ENSEC COE could try to develop and lead certain communities of interest which would contribute to improving cooperation between NATO institution and subdivisions, to develop and execute training courses, to initiate research activities, to organize conferences and exhibitions, and also to work on exercises and do other relevant activities. Many of these activities are already part of the ESC Work Program: in 2011 the ESC started with several periodical publications, organized conference and exhibition on energy innovations for military needs (IESMA 2011), and later contributed to existing international military training activities, etc.

Potential focus areas for the NATO Center of Excellence for Energy Security

With regards the promotion of energy innovations in the military area, the Alliance implements the Science for Peace program, with discussions on scientific achievements regularly held at the NATO Research and Technology Organization within its framework. In the meantime, member countries invest hundreds of millions of Euros per year in research which could reduce the costs and contribute to the saving of fossil fuel (oil products) used in operations and exercises. Either independently or in cooperation with Ministries of Defence, scientists, researchers and manufacturers already work in several areas analyzing possibilities for replacing conventional fuels intended for military use by alternative fuels and fuel-blends.; they create and test energy (fuel, heat) saving technologies, develop technologies contributing to strengthening the security of fuel transportation and storage, etc. The latter area is of particular relevance today – the fuel intended for operations increasingly becomes the target of terrorist or pirate attacks, which is a significant constraint on military missions. However, innovations in other two areas could result in tangible benefits as well: they would enhance the security of soldiers participating in military operations, contribute to the solution of climate change problems, decrease the dependence on resources through efficiency measures, or reduce the cost of overall Alliance operations. In other words, with the resources available, NATO could operate more safely and achieve better results.

Recent years have brought another alarming tendency to the fore: the infrastructure of transportation, storage, recycling and management of energy resources is becoming a popular target of criminal acts committed by terrorist groups, maritime pirates and hackers. Furthermore, as illustrated by the conflicts in Georgia, Libya, Nigeria and elsewhere, the destruction of energy infrastructure may become targeted during conflict. Successful attacks against these assets may delay the supply of oil, gas, electricity and water required for soldiers in theaters of military operations or may affect civilians in large urban areas; attacks may impair communication systems and challenge the reputation of countries exporting or transporting energy resources. In response to such tendencies, the members of the Alliance could join efforts in ensuring the protection of infrastructure located on their territory or the territory of the countries that are not members of the Alliance.

In a broad sense, NATO’s activities in the area of protection of critical energy infrastructure may not only imply physical assurance of security by military measures but also may include the exchange of intelligence information, national experience and technologies. In other words, the Alliance could become a place where after extensive consultations essential decisions are taken in regards to the identification of threats to energy infrastructure assets, the development of military units for the protection of infrastructure, the distribution of costs for the “protection” of particularly vulnerable transport corridors, the future of the NATO pipeline system, the development of relations with the partners, etc. Also, the Alliance could contribute to the liquidation of damage in the case of accidents, install cyber and other energy infrastructure protective measures preventing activities targeted against energy infrastructure from ever taking place.

The “internationalization” of the issue of energy security is yet another equally important potential focus area of the Center of Excellence to be founded in Lithuania. It is self-evident that human and financial resources impose a significant limitation on the objectives of the national governments in the area of strengthening energy security – few countries can invest in energy innovations, infrastructure, relations with alternative suppliers to the extent that would make them feel safe or safer. Nevertheless, it is possible to achieve at least partial solutions to these problems through cooperation with countries holding similar interests for instance in the case of lessening dependence on a single or several suppliers, resources, and transportation routes. Multinational cooperation may be particularly important, i.e. cooperation that would involve the most influential international organizations dealing in one way or another with energy today (EU, NATO, UN, OSCE, WTO, World Bank). Once the issue of relegating heretofore bilateral agendas relating to energy suppliers to the EU is achieved, it may be possible to create conditions for competition (reducing the cost of resources) and encourage the application of innovations (contributing to energy savings, the use of alternative resources, etc.). The Center of Excellence for Energy Security could contribute to maximizing the potential for international cooperation – helping member countries “rediscover” the benefit of the NATO consulting mechanism, ongoing alliance transformation and consensus decision-making procedures.

Contributor Ambassador Audrius Brūzga, is the Director of Energy Security Center under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania

Source: http://www.ensec.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=344:nato-center-of-excellence-to-be-opened-in-lithuania&catid=123:content&Itemid=389

Griechenland wird auch in der Neubestimmung der EU-Migrationspolitik zum Testfall. Deutschland zwingt die Regierung in Athen zur rücksichtslosen Aufrüstung der Grenzüberwachung

Die Bundesregierung will weitere Bundespolizisten nach Griechenland schicken. Dies geht aus einem Dokument hervor, das kürzlich auf der Plattform Quintessenz veröffentlicht wurde. Die Beamten der Bundespolizei sollen demnach die Migrationsabwehr aufstocken, die von der EU-Grenzschutzagentur Frontex seit vier Jahren an der Grenze zur Türkei installiert wird. Griechische und türkische Grenztruppen sind mit Frontex als “Endnutzer” an einem EU-Forschungsprojekt zur Entwicklung von Überwachungsrobotern beteiligt

Frontex koordiniert seit 2008 in Griechenland die auf unbestimmte Zeit verlängerte Operation Poseidon Sea, um über dem Seeweg ankommende Flüchtlinge abzufangen. 23 EU-Mitgliedstaaten bzw. mit dem Schengen-Abkommen assoziierte Regierungen nehmen an der Mission teil.

2010 wurde die gemeinsame Überwachung des Mittelmeers durch eine gleichnamige Maßnahme an der Landgrenze zur Türkei ergänzt. Hinzu kam der europaweit erste Einsatz der sogenannten “schnellen Eingreiftruppen”. (weiter auf heise.de)

Laura wurde im Zusammenhang mit dem Generalstreik vom 29. März 2012 verhaftet. An diesem Tag waren alleine in der katalanischen Provinzhauptstadt bis zu 50.000 Menschen dem Streikaufruf der CNT-AIT, der CGT und anderer gewerkschaftlicher und sozialer Organisationen gefolgt.

Laura wird nun vorgeworfen, sie habe sich an einer Brandstiftung beteiligt. Der Brandstiftung eines Pappkartons! Der Karton, gefüllt mit Banknoten-Imitaten war am 29. März im Rahmen einer symbolischen und angekündigten Aktion unter Anwesenheit von Presse auf dem Bürgersteig gegenüber der Börse von Barcelona von mehreren AktivistInnen der CGT in Brand gesteckt worden.

Lauras Verhaftung vorangegangen war ein wüste Hetzkampagne in deren Folge bislang rund hundert soziale AktivistInnen verhaftet wurden. Verhaftet wurde im Zuge dessen unter anderem auch der Pressesprecher der andalusischen Gewerkschaft Sindicato Andaluz de Trabajadores (SAT).

Laura hat keine Vorstrafen, aber einen festen Job und eine Tochter. Auch aus einer juristischen Perspektive sind ihre Haftbedingungen nicht nachvollziehbar. Die Anschuldigungen, ja sogar der ganze Vorfall, sind geradezu absurd. Mit der auf solcherlei Konstrukten basierenden Repression u.a. gegen Laura, versucht die politische Klasse in Spanien, GewerkschafterInnen und soziale AktivistInnen einzuschüchtern und weitere Mobilisierungen gegen die katastrophale Krisen- und Verarmungspolitik zu behindern. Ein allzu durchsichtiges Manöver.

Wir solidarisieren uns mit Laura und allen anderen kriminalisierten GewerkschafterInnen und sozialen AktivistInnen in Spanien. Wir fordern die sofortige Einstellung sämtlicher Verfahren und ein Ende der Politik der zunehmenden Einschränkung von Grundrechten. Der Widerstand gegen die von der EU forcierte Verarmungspolitik ist legitim und bitter notwendig!

Die Kundgebung findet am Mittwoch, den 16. Mai, ab 17Uhr, vor dem Instituto Cervantes (Rosenstraße 18, S-Bhf Hackescher Markt) statt.

Source: email

Wenige Tage nach dem 31. März rief die Frankfurter Polizei eine 25-köpfige M31-Sonderkommission ins Leben. Deren Ziel dürfte neben dem Ermitteln von möglichen Beschuldigten vor allem sein, die M31-Strukturen auszuleuchten und den staatlichen Behörden so Informationen über linke und linksradikale Strukturen (nicht nur) im Rhein-Main-Gebiet zu liefern.

Bundesweite Zeug*innen-Vorladungen durch Polizei und Staatsanwaltschaft, Überfall-ähnliche Kontrollen im Alltag und massenhaft ausgesprochene Innenstadtverbote für die Blockupy-Aktionstage bestätigen das Bild: Die Antwort der staatlichen Behörden auf den politischen Erfolg des antikapitalistischen M31-Aktionstages besteht in einer großen Repressionskampagne.

Für uns steht fest, dieser Repression begegnen wir gemeinsam und solidarisch. Niemand wird alleine gelassen, jetzt vernetzen wir uns erst recht. Wir schützen uns und unsere Strukturen. Das heißt auch: Keine Aussagen bei Polizei und Staatsanwaltschaft!

Allen Betroffenen – ob als Zeug*in oder Angeklagte*r – empfehlen wir dringend, sich bei lokalen Rechtshilfe-Gruppen (z.B. Roter Hilfe, Ermittlungsausschuss) und zusätzlich bei der Roten Hilfe Frankfurt zu melden. Neben der Beratung über das Verhalten bei Vorladungen und Beschuldigungen kann so ein Überblick über das Ausmaß der Repressions-Maßnahmen entstehen, und gemeinsames Vorgehen koordiniert werden.

Unsere Solidarität gegen ihre Repression!

Source: http://antirep.march31.net

Britain’s military will be armed with a sonic device that can be used as a high-volume loudspeaker or a non-lethal weapon to disperse crowds at this summer’s Olympic Games in London, the defence ministry said on Friday.

The equipment, which can project a piercing sound over hundreds of metres causing physical pain, has been used during protests at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh in 2009 and against pirates operating off the Somali coast.

The Ministry of Defence said it expected to use it primarily in loudspeaker mode to communicate with boats it wants to stop on the River Thames.

Defence chiefs have already caused controversy by announcing plans to put surface-to-air missiles on the top of residential buildings near the Olympics site in east London.

Fighter jets roared over the capital and helicopters were seen hovering over the Houses of Parliament this month during a nine-day military exercise to prepare for Britain’s biggest peacetime security operation.

The LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device), made by U.S. company LRAD Corporation, can be mounted on the side of a ship or on the top of a vehicle. Some versions are roughly the same size and shape as a dustbin lid.

It can generate noises up to around 150 decibels, similar to a gunshot, and has a maximum range of 3 km or 1.8 miles.

The device can also emit a warning alarm that sounds like a police siren and “potentially prevents the use of harmful or deadly force”, LRAD says on its website.

Police and military planners say they are preparing for a range of security threats at the Olympics including protesters trying to disrupt events and attacks using hijacked airliners.

Around 13,500 soldiers will help the police during the Games, which run from July 27 to Aug. 12.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/11/britain-olympics-sonic-idUSL5E8GBAIX20120511

Police in Chicago have spent $1m on riot-control equipment in the last few months ahead of next month’s Nato summit, which is expected to attract thousands of anti-war protesters.

Protesters from a coalition of organisations including unions, anti-war and Occupy groups are expected to descend on the city. National Nurses United, the largest nurses’ union in the US, is providing free buses to Chicago for activists from across the country even as its own plans to demonstrate were vetoed by the city of Chicago on Tuesday.

While protesters insist demonstrations during the Nato conference – the main action is planned for Sunday 20 May – will be peaceful, police appear to be leaving nothing to chance. Records show that since it was announced the Nato conference would be held in Chicago, police have purchased improved riot gear for both officers and horses. Officers are also preparing to use the controversial long-range acoustic device, or LRAD, during the operation. (more on guardian.co.uk)

“The level of preparedness across the EU is not high-enough,” said Antoaneta Angelova-Krasteva, a commission information security network expert. Angelova-Krasteva voiced alarm at the increasing sophistication of threats and their number. (more on euobserver.com)

An EU-co-financed project is aiming to mass-produce autonomous land vehicles designed to stop irregular migrants.

Using a €13 million grant from the European Commission’s research budget and €7 million of private funding, a consortium of researchers and private firms has after four years of work produced a functioning prototype of the “transportable autonomous patrol for land border surveillance” or “Talos.”

The unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) was demonstrated in Poland in mid-April at a military training ground in front of a hundred-or-so people, including officials from Frontex, the EU’s Warsaw-based border control agency, Polish ministers and border guards from around Europe.

The complete system includes two autonomous UGVs, an unmanned command unit and a two manned command centres. Sensor towers are deployed in areas not accessible to UGVs. (more on euobserver.com)

Die risikolose Überwachung der Grenze zu Nordkorea – so der offiziell geplante Einsatzzweck des südkoreanischen Militärs für die Drohne “Made in Austria”. Aufgemotzt mit Hightech stand am Donnerstagvormittag auf einem Industriegelände in der Hafenstadt Incheon schließlich ein Testflug an. Mit verheerendem Ausgang… (weiter auf krone.at)

SAFER, the emergency response service of Europe’s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme, immediately stepped in. Using data from Earth-observing satellites, the organisation provided civil protection authorities with flood extent maps in near-real time.

GMES has been active in Eastern Europe for years, identifying sources of pollution in the Black Sea, providing emergency mapping services for mudslides in Bulgaria and monitoring biodiversity of protected areas in Romania.

These were just some of the examples presented at the ‘GMES: New Opportunities for Eastern Europe’ conference last week. The two-day event was held in Bucharest, Romania – ESA’s newest member state.

The conference aimed to increase awareness amongst Eastern European countries – and in particular the 12 new EU Member States – about GMES and its potential benefits for the environment, civil security and commerce.

Once GMES moves from its research and development phase to full operations in 2014, decision-makers will have access to reliable, timely and accurate information services to manage the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security.

The programme plans to extend and improve its services with the upcoming series of Sentinel satellites, which are being developed specifically for the operational needs of GMES. Together with in-situ data, the Sentinels will ensure the provision of an uninterrupted data and information flow to the users.

Opening the conference, the president of Romania’s National Authority for Scientific Research, Dragos Ciuparu, spoke about the ever-increasing relevance of Earth observation data not only in Romania, but also in the 12 new EU states.

Mr Ciuparu stressed the need to get the new EU Member States better acquainted with GMES and the role it can play in benefiting the creation and growth of small and medium businesses.

The economic benefits of the GMES programme also came into focus at the conference, as it will generate an estimated €4–12 for every €1 invested.

GMES will not only serve as a trigger for the creation of new markets, jobs, income and economic growth, it will also lead to a substantial amount of savings at both national and local levels.

GMES services will help to save costs through the improved management of natural resources and efficiency in the mitigation of emergency situations.

Source: http://earsc.org/news/gmes-in-eastern-europe

“Kriminelle Banden haben inzwischen herausgefunden, dass internationales Cybercrime lukrativer und profitabler ist als andere, riskantere Formen illegaler Geschäfte”, so der Interpol-Chef weiter. Beispielsweise hätten Finanzinstitute in den USA rund 900 Millionen Dollar an Bankräuber verloren, jedoch 12 Milliarden Dollar an Cyberkriminelle. (weiter auf itespresso.de)

Der Spezialist für die imposanten polizeilichen Einsatzwägen ist Rosenbauer. Die deutsche Polizei deckte sich etwa kürzlich mit seinen neuen Modellen ein. In Chile machen sie dem oberösterreichischen Feuerwehrausrüster jedoch nun Ärger und lösen Wellen auf höchster politischer Ebene aus.

Es geht um zehn Wasserwerfer im Wert von fünf Millionen Euro. (weiter auf derstandard.at)

Nächste Woche treffen sich die Innenminister der sechs einwohnerstärksten EU-Mitgliedstaaten zum Treffen der sogenannten “Gruppe der Sechs” (G6) in München. Dies teilte die Bundesregierung am Freitag in ihrer Antwort auf eine Schriftliche Frage im Bundestag mit. Die heimliche Zusammenkunft findet demnach “am 17. Mai abends und 18. Mai 2012 ganztägig” statt. Auf der Tagesordnung stehen zahlreiche Initiativen im Bereich Justiz und Inneres, die gegenwärtig auf EU-Ebene beraten werden. Neben der EU-Kommissarin für Inneres werden auch die Heimatschutzministerin der USA sowie der für Justiz zuständige Generalbundesanwalt zu Teilen des Treffens eingeladen.

In der “Gruppe der Sechs” organisieren sich seit 2003 die sechs einwohnerstärksten Regierungen der EU. Neben Deutschland gehören dazu Frankreich, Großbritannien, Italien und Spanien. Mit dem EU-Beitritt ist Polen seit 2005 Mitglied des informellen Zirkels. Die Regierung in Warschau wurde erstmals bei einer Zusammenkunft im Seebad Heiligendamm im Kreis der Gründerstaaten begrüßt.

Die Initiative zur Einrichtung der “G6″ geht unter anderem auf den damaligen französischen Innenminister Nicolas Sarkozy zurück: Laut einem kritischen Bericht des britischen House of Lords hatte sich Sarkozy hierzu mit dem damaligen Innenminister Großbritanniens David Blunkett verständigt. Seitdem trifft sich die Gruppe mehrmals jährlich zu zweitägigen Treffen. (weiter auf heise.de)

The company says users in the field need solutions that work instantly and intuitively while ensuring their personal safety. Security and safety are at the heart of Motorola’s next generation TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) solutions. Motorola will unveil a new TETRA handheld radio series that will redefine industry standards in user safety and ease-of-use as well as demonstrate the first public safety LTE device in the region.

In addition to these exciting innovations, Motorola will unveil the ultimate patrol vehicle – the future of policing, which is here today. This fully operational police car demonstrates the possibilities of the latest innovations in TETRA, TETRA Enhanced Data Services (TEDS) and LTE communications technology.

The ultimate patrol vehicle is the result of years of simulation, usability studies and field research and incorporates the latest technologies and integrated controls to enable streamlined decision-making and actions by officers on the street. The car has easy-to-reach controls with key functions tied to single button presses or simple voice commands. Its workstation runs applications such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and real-time video streaming over LTE and TEDS to empower and protect officers to a level that has never been seen before.

Tom Quirke, vice president and general manager, TETRA Global Organisation, Motorola Solutions, (pictured) said: ‘Motorola conducted years of research together with end users in patrol cars, who have highlighted to us the importance of intuitive technology in incident response. We have learnt that the safety as well as the effectiveness of emergency responders can be significantly improved when critical information is delivered to them in an automatic and intuitive way.

‘In the car environment, this means implementing vehicle controls that are integrated and easy to use – so that actions flow quickly and intuitively, requiring little thought during incident response. The Ultimate Patrol Car at TWC will demonstrate the latest innovations in TETRA, TEDS and LTE in one car to achieve a more secure, intuitive experience for frontline officers.’

Motorola Solutions can be found at Booth G301, Sheikh Rashid Hall, during TWC 2012.

Source: http://www.wireless-mag.com/News/20966/TWC_2012__Motorola_Solutions_to_show_the_ultimate_public_safety_vehicle_in_Dubai.aspx

Weitere Infos in Artikeln von Juli und August 2011.

Am 20. April 2012 ließ der dänische Justizminister M. Boedskov (ein Sozialdemokrat) die Anklage gegen die fünf jungen Männer zu, als Terrorismus-Anklage. Vier von ihnen wurden am 20. April 2011 mit 30 Liter Benzin und einer Fackel im Unfeld der Polizeiakademie in Brondby, ein Vorort von Kopenhagen. Ein fünfter wurde im Mai 2011 verhaftet.

Die fünf haben gestanden, dass sie planten die Polizeiakademie abzufackeln, aber zurückgewiesen, dass es ein Akt des Terrorismus sei.

Der Staat und die Staatsanwaltschaft sagen, dass durch die Brandanschläge auf die Pelz-Firmen, Botschaften usw. sie versuchten die politischen, sozialen und finanziellen Grundmauern von Dänemark zu destabilisieren und deshalb sollten sie unter der Terrorgesetzgebung angeklagt werden. Trotz der Tatsache, dass es für Brandanschläge Lebenslänglich gibt, wurde das Terrorgesetz angewandt, so wird es den Beschuldigten schwerere gemacht ihre Verteidigung vorzubereiten, weil sie unter Post- und BesucherInnenkontrolle stehen. Außerdem bedeutet dies, dass der Staat sie für ein Jahr in Untersuchungshaft behalten kann ohne sie anzuklagen…

Ein erster Prozesstermin ist für den 9. Mai 2012 angesetzt.

Die Gefangenen werden im Knast Vridsløselille festgehalten.

Die Angriffe, derer sie angeklagt werden:

17. April 2010: zwei Molotovs werden auf Kopenhagen Fur geworfen

14. Mai 2010: brennbare Flüssigkeit wird an der Polizeiakademie entzündet, ein paar Bullenfahrzeuge brennen auch, in Brondoester

20. September 2010: brennbare Flüssigkeit wird bei der Firma Pelsbox (eine Pelz-Firma) entzündet

27. Oktober 2010: vier Plastikbenzinkanister mit brennbarer Flüssigkeit werden bei dem Lebensmittelkonzern Nestle durch die Fenster geworfen und entzündet, in Kopenhagen

10. November 2010: Molotovs werden durch die Fenster von Saga Furs, in Vedbaek geworfen

8. Dezember 2010: Plastikbenzinkanister, gefüllt mit Benzin, werden auf das Geheimdienstzentrum der Bullen in Søborg, Kopenhagen geworfen

15. Dezember 2010: Scheiben werden eingeworfen bei einer Bank in Odense, die Bullen sagen, sie sollten abgefackelt werden…

11. Januar 2011: mehrere Fahrzeuge brennen bei der polizeilichen Datenzentrale in Hvidovre, Kopenhagen

14. Januar 2011: die Bullen sagen, eine weitere Bank in im Zentrum von Kopenhagen sollte abgefackelt werden, aus unbekannten Gründen scheiterte dies!!

6. April 2011: mit brennbarer Flüssigkeit wird die Eingangstür der griechischen Botschaft in Kopenhagen in Brand gesetzt

26. April 2011: vier der fünf werden festgenommen an der Polizeiakademie mit Benzin und Fackeln…

Anarchist Black Cross Berlin

Source: https://linksunten.indymedia.org/de/node/60170

The evolution and spread of the industrial-technological surveillance state in the 7 years since this text was written has been fast-paced and this text is archived here for reference and interest. If an active critique of the totalitarian mechanisms of social control was necessary in 2005, the same critique is even more needed now; against these advancing forms of technical domination and the hierarchical society which demands them. For war against the existent…

Britain is full of companies involved in the worst kinds of financial activity, the population is terrorised by government-media campaigns, held captive by aggressive borders, and attacked by violent police who kill with impunity. Behind the ‘democratic’ facade is Empire, enforced by ever more complex means. Every day people are scrutinised under intense surveillance and subjected to the highest levels of consumer propaganda. The authorities are enthusiastic advocates of control technology in all of its guises and have long set the benchmarks for others across the globe. There are an estimated 4.5 million CCTV cameras installed across the country: one per 14 people. This tidal wave of CCTV certainly shows no signs of abating, if anything it is gaining momentum, Britain is on the verge of a Closed-Circuit Television transformation – Companies and researchers are pushing the latest development – Digital, or ‘Smart’ CCTV.

This will enable users of CCTV to store much more data in a more flexible format such as DVD, or on computer hard-disk. Manufacturers claim that software used with the Digital CCTV can also automatically identify street crime, such as vandalism and theft even before it is committed. It is expected to be introduced in parts of the country in the next 12 months, and is being touted as a weapon against terrorism, the usual doublespeak of the bosses. It will be used to protect finance and police the zones of capital, to pursue ‘anti-social behaviour’ and maintain curfew on the excluded. As anarchists we re-assert the diverse world of community; we reject the ‘community’ that the social architects, police, law lords and bosses talk of; it is a consumerist fantasy used to keep people obedient.

On average, each person in the UK is said to be recorded 300 times a day, as end-to-end CCTV security from the borders unfurl. Most, if not all, transport networks are covered by the viewing apparatus of the State. Every city and almost every town centre is covered by cameras operated by local authorities. They view most shops, pubs and cafes, which usually all have their own surveillance systems anyway. Most of the motorways and many roads are covered in cameras, numberplate recognition cameras were introduced in 1997, and many places have cameras which detect speed & road-tax payment automatically. CCTV is said to bring about an average 5 per cent reduction in crime, however a study in 1999 revealed that crime rose 9 per cent and the clear-up rate fell 4 per cent after cameras were installed in Glasgow.

One application of Digital CCTV is ‘Intelligent Pedestrian Surveillance’ (IPS) marketed by IPSOTEK. This image analysis software will alert CCTV operators when a potentially suspicious event occurs. The program was the product of 10 years of research and collaboration between 6 European countries in an EU funded project. IPS technology is connected to a sophisticated pattern recognition programme called ‘Cromatica’, in which CCTV cameras detect unusual activity by recognising patterns pre-programmed into the computer’s memory. The software compares images from each CCTV camera in use, with pictures of the space devoid of any activity, analysing each pixel to pick out those that differ between the two images. People’s movements are reduced to a series of pixels and compared to a pre-defined set of patterns, or ‘algorithms’. Clusters of pixels which could be objects or people are tracked in real time, using computer vision techniques that record and examine patterns of behaviour. There were trials of the software in late 2004, in London’s Mile End underground station and Liverpool St. station. People using these stations were not told about the project. A London Underground spokesperson who oversaw the installation at the stations said: “…this puts it on another plane. It means that you don’t have to look at a screen all of the time,” Indeed it seems likely this is just the beginning, Ken Moore, director of IPSOTEK, said: “This technology will do for CCTV what computers did for accountancy in the Sixties and Seventies.”

IPSOTEK states that its systems are easy to integrate with other biometric technologies (Gait recognition, Facial Geometry recognition. etc.) as well as Smart cards/RF ID. They boast that they can provide a level of surveillance far superior and more cost effective than provided by human operators alone. One of the technical minds behind the company, Sergio Velastin, of Kingston University, London, spent a decade developing the mathematical algorithms for IPS.

Some of the features of IPS are:

Detecting Intrusions – When something enters an area of view that has been pre-defined as ‘off-limits’, the operators are alerted to the unauthorised entry.

Evaluating Density – The software is able to monitor the amount of people, congestion, abnormal pedestrian flows (i.e people walking against the flow of crowd, unusually slow or quick pace etc.).

Abandoned Packages – The system can alert operators to any object that is not defined within its limits.

Loitering – The system can detect people who spend a long time in one camera view, even if fairly active.

‘Abnormal’ Behaviour – Graffiti, vandalism, overcrowding and other ‘suspicious’ behaviour.

If the technology is successful it could begin to end the weakness that has long dogged CCTV, that there are too many cameras and not enough people to keep track of them. In the U.K, with the sheer proliferation of CCTV cameras, they are becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Besides being a tedious task, watching mostly inactive CCTV monitors also demands a higher level of concentration than many people can manage. The IPS system can work with up to 1,024 cameras at once.

In a recent survey of hundreds of U.S. & U.K. security executives, intelligent surveillance / smart CCTV was one of the top items in demand, and many other companies are working on similar technologies. IPSOTEK is involved in Chicago, where trials will be funded by a $5 million grant from the US Department of Homeland Security. Chicago hopes to have the new technology installed by spring 2006, along with 250 state-of-the-art cameras.

IPSOTEK stands to make a lot of money in digital policing. Unless we actively fight against this technology, and attack the companies and individuals behind it, it will only be a matter of time before we have smart CCTV on our streets, in our public places, and working environment. Anyone involved in the management, development or finance of these kinds of control technologies is a target.

Pattern recognition systems, which are vital to digital/smart CCTV, are also key to understanding biometrics analysis, which are typically, computer programs, that recognise, cross-match, classify and cluster information. Biometric technologies are automated methods of identifying individuals based on mass profiling: Fingerprinting; DNA analysis; Speech analysis; Gait recognition; Iris recognition; Facial geometry recognition. Most iris pattern recognition systems are based on software created by John Daugman of Cambridge University. An image of an iris, with all the tiny pits, ridges and strings of tissue that make it unique, is turned into a series of three-dimensional contour maps. This information is compressed into a code of 1′s and 0′s just 2048 digits long. This code can be stored or checked against existing records in databases or smart cards. Iris scans are faster and more accurate than any other computerised means of identifying people, such as fingerprint, face or voice recognition. Getting the public to accept the intrusion of eye scans is critical to the companies behind the technology, and the governments who want to use it. The problem is the sheer number of people to be identified, and the vast amount of IT work involved, plus the ability of the technology itself. There is an upper limit to the reliability of iris scans, there are so many environmental variables: scans can be affected by lighting conditions and body temperature, so much so that a system can fail to match two scans of the same iris taken under different conditions. Even so, according to the UK government, in their recent biometric tests for the national ID project there were no false matches in over two million tests. Not long ago similar claims were made for facial geometry recognition software, which has still to make its mark, due to the limitations of the software.

According to a Hitachi Data Systems survey, 65% of European Information Technology directors wanted iris recognition and finger-print scanning introduced into the workplace in the near future, with most of them wanting the technology implemented within the next two years. 54% of those IT directors expected staff to resist the introduction.

All governments are constantly looking at better identification systems to monitor all physical and virtual territory, they want to control and survey all migration, all phone access, all internet. Technologically controlled societies formed under the pretext of fighting terror, illegal immigration and drug-dealing.

The authorities view biometrics as crucial to track and maintain a hold on their citizens movements and activities, through immense databases of credit history, biological profile, and social security. In the UK and across the whole of Europe, State/Capital is pushing for Identity Smart Cards. Smart cards are similar to existing credit cards, except they have an inbuilt computer chip, which has the ability to store and manipulate large amounts of data. In an ID system that combines smart card and biometric technologies, a stored biometric template (Iris, DNA) is compared to the ‘live’ image and/or the ‘enrolled’ image captured when the subject was first processed in the system. Frequently smart cards are contactless, and can interact intelligently with readers up to 10 metres away. This kind of wireless technology, known as RF ID, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth uses short-range signals which allow electronic devices to communicate with each other.

RF ID is a technology developed by a group of electronics manufacturers that allows any sort of electronic equipment to make its own connections without wires, cables or any direct interaction with a user. RF ID devices use a technique called spread-spectrum frequency hopping to prevent interference, and by sending out very weak signals of 1 milliwatt. To compare, a mobile phone can transmit a signal of 3 watts. A RF ID device will use 79 individual, randomly chosen frequencies 1,600 times every second, meaning that a lot of devices can make use of a limited slice of the radio spectrum. This technology has the capacity to completely change our living environments. The convergence of these three types of technology – RF ID, Biometrics, Smart Cards – is like the push for the – Phone, Camera, Email device- It’s all about multi-functionality, miniaturization and flexibility – the companies behind it are envisaging totally integrated global consumer environments, with user profiling and the whole range of social control and domestication applications.

Many RF ID gadgets are open to wireless hacking. There are software tools available and in development, that allow data to be stolen through the air from laptops, mobile phones, PDA’s and even smart cards. A person can use the programs to identify nearby devices that use wireless protocol.

A virus that spreads from one cell phone to another has been created by a security group called 29.a, it transmits itself to phones that have a Bluetooth connection. Unlike most computer worms, it does not exploit a vulnerability in the operating system, it exploits the way the phone is supposed to work. Bluetooth transceivers automatically contact each other when they come into range, and the operating system is designed so that files can be exchanged over the Bluetooth connection. A combination of Bluetooth connections and increasingly sophisticated cell phone software could eventually lead to a good environment for malicious phone viruses capable of bugging calls and deleting the phonebooks, calendars and diaries stored on smart phones. Because it is possible to manipulate the networks of the convergence technologies in this way, groups and individuals will still be able to subvert the system. Using traditional techniques and sophisticated cracking/cloning measures, the black market in identities will survive.

Unless an individual has been identified by the authorities as a threat, surveillance technologies are no help. They are more devices for social control, they let a government & corporation track you and know more about you.

They will not stop the fascists or fanatics, those who blow up trains or carry out other horrific attacks against working class people, the addicts of right-wing ideologies who think human beings dispensable to the force of history. These people have more in common with our authoritarian overseers than they ever could anarchists.

We are not data for machines. Our social environment does not require the ordering, organizing, coercive force. These technologies are yet another aspect of automated capitalist repression, of the absolute negation of self-management, of self-reliance, of autonomy. We are not merely the flows of finance. We refuse to be processed, or submit to the authority of the digital. We are a statistic that cannot be compiled, we reject this consumer society of inhuman values and quantified poverty. We do not want this technology extending into all areas of our societies. We can come up with viable alternatives to endless surveillance, incarceration and inhumanity, we can stop this cycle of degradation and prison.

Clearly, that solution is to destroy this capitalist system of competition and property, straight away.

Against the Control Software – Against Biometrics & Surveillance

Source: http://325.nostate.net/?p=5160