Summary record of the meeting of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION Brussels, 25 June 2010 11653/10 Subject: Summary record of the meeting of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), held in Brussels on 23-24 June 2010 I. Conclusion of the Spanish EU Council Presidency in the area of Immigration Ms Terrón i Cusí, State Secretary […]
G-8 Leaders Statement on Countering Terrorism
[g8.gc.ca] We, the Leaders of the G-8, reiterate our absolute condemnation of terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations, and our commitment to work together to eradicate this threat. Recent events, such as the attempted bombing on December 25, 2009 of the airline en route to Detroit and the brutal attacks of March 29, […]
G8 Muskoka Declaration
Strengthening Civilian Security Systems Muskoka, Canada, June 26, 2010 [g8.gc.ca/g8-summit] Building on our past efforts and those of our partners, the G8 commits to a set of three interrelated initiatives to strengthen civilian security systems, in accordance with our respective national priorities and programs. These initiatives will aim to reduce the intensity of conflict-related instability, […]
UK to expand UAV test boundaries
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is preparing to extend the boundaries for test flights of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) seeks to further develop its ongoing Watchkeeper programme. [shephard.co.uk] It has emerged that the existing six-mile training area, complete with 5,000 ft ceiling around Parc Aberporth in Wales, will […]
Justice and Home Affairs: Brussels wants European evidence collection system
By Nathalie Vandystadt Belgium is ready to push forward several justice and home affairs issues in the second half of 2010. It will be moving ahead with at least one criminal law initiative, as the Council of Ministers is allowed to do under the Lisbon Treaty. This will be a draft ‘European order’ directive designed […]
Programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council
SIX-MONTH PROGRAMME DRAWN UP BY THE BELGIAN PRESIDENCY JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS The reinforcement and effective implementation of the European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice represents a challenge for the European Union. The Belgian Presidency will continue with the effective implementation of the Multiannual Stockholm Programme (2010-2014). The Treaty of Lisbon makes new instruments […]
U.S. Expands Use of Drones over Southern Border
Homeland Security Dept. Gets Approval to Fly Unmanned Aircraft for Domestic Surveillance [cbsnews.com] The Homeland Security Department will use unmanned surveillance aircraft and other technological upgrades in its ongoing effort to protect the southern border of the United States. The department said Wednesday it has obtained Federal Aviation Administration permission to operate unmanned planes along […]
Video Surveillance: New Technology and its Consequences
An abandoned suitcase at the main railroad station: It might contain a bomb. A gang of youths beating up a senior citizen in a subway train; the victim possibly ends up dead. Many people wish for better security in public places. A new video surveillance technology might contribute to this purpose. Brawls in the city […]
EU rubber-stamping grants for Israeli war industry
David Cronin A leading Israeli supplier of warplanes used to kill and maim civilians in Gaza is in the running for two new scientific research grants from the European Union. [electronicintifada.net] Israel’s attacks on Gaza in late 2008 and 2009 provided its air force with an opportunity to experiment with state-of-the-art pilotless drones such as […]
Cyber cops want stronger domain rules
By Kevin Murphy International police have called for stricter rules on domain name registration, to help them track down online crooks, warning the industry that if it does not self-regulate, governments could legislate. [theregister.co.uk] The changes, which are still under discussion, would place more onerous requirements on ICANN-accredited domain name registrars, and would likely lead […]
EU airports must offer alternative to naked scanners, says US
VALENTINA POP The US says it has more privacy protection measures for air passengers going through full body scanners than Europe. [euobserver.com] Recognising the "potential for misuse," the US government has gone ahead with use of the controversial full body scanners under strict privacy provisions, an American official speaking to a group of European journalists […]
Napolitano – Internet Monitoring Needed to Fight Homegrown Terrorism
Fighting homegrown terrorism by monitoring Internet communications is a civil liberties trade-off the U.S. government must make to beef up national security, the nation’s homeland security chief said Friday. [nationalterroralert.com] As terrorists increasingly recruit U.S. citizens, the government needs to constantly balance Americans’ civil rights and privacy with the need to keep people safe, said […]
Government vehicle surveillance database storing 250 journeys for every motorist
The average motorist has the details of 200 of their journeys stored on the Government’s controversial vehicle surveillance database, new figures have shown. By Jon Swaine [telegraph.co.uk] The records, which include photographs of private cars, can be secretly handed by ministers to the governments of other European countries or the United States. Documents released under […]
Imaging, Spy-Cams and Drones: The New Hi Tech Homeland Security State
by Tom Burghardt [globalresearch.ca] As "gee-whiz" high-tech wonders seamlessly morph into "your papers, please!," more often than not in "new normal" America science and technological innovation are little more than deranged handmaids serving corporate crime and political power. In the interest of "keeping us safe," the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled a spiffy new […]
Boeing faces prospect of scaled-back SBInet
DHS recognizes the electronic surveillance system has caused "frustration" By Alice Lipowicz [washingtontechnology.com] Boeing Co. could see its lucrative, but troubled Secure Border Initiative contract scaled back as Homeland Security Department officials consider stopping future construction of the "virtual-fence" security systems along the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead, DHS wants to augment the system with unmanned aerial […]
360-degree surveillance cam sees all
by Tim Hornyak [cnet.com] If you think standard security cameras are an invasion of your privacy, the Department of Homeland Security is testing a surveillance cam that puts others to shame. It gives law enforcement high-def, 360-degree footage of a scene. The feeds are integrated with image-stitching technology. The Imaging System for Immersive Surveillance (ISIS) […]
Nokia-Siemens admits selling surveillance system to Iran: time to regulate Homeland Security exports
Following allegations in the Wall Street Journal last June, Nokia-Siemens Networks has finally come clean and admitted that it sold surveillance technology to Iranian mobile phone operators. The technology was used by the regime in Tehran to track down dissidents during the widespread protests that followed last year’s contested re-election of Mahmud Ahmadinejad. At least 36 […]
Bridge Employees Trained to Spot Suspicious Behavior
[nationalterroralert.com] More than a month after a terrorist attempt was foiled in Times Square, employees from the New York Bridge Authority are being trained to spot and report any suspicious behavior on or around spans crossing the Hudson River. “We’re nine years since the World Trade Center bombing, but we’re only four or five weeks […]
New Zealand Police Join Virtual Global Taskforce
[police.govt.nz] New Zealand Police have today become members of the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT), an international group that fights online child exploitation. The agreement was signed by Superintendent Win Van Der Velde at the VGT Board Meeting in Rome. The VGT is made up of law enforcement agencies from around the world whose primary purpose […]
Criminal clues at your fingertips
A fingermark left at a crime scene may now provide investigators with details about a suspect’s medications, their diet and even their lifestyle. Thanks to a new technique developed by scientists from Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, the ability to catch a criminal just got a whole lot easier. [cordis.europa.eu] The technology behind the […]