Browse: Page 70
By europolice on 31. August 2010
All mapping activities of ZKI at a glance: Activations world map
The Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) of DLR has celebrated the relaunch of it’s web-portal. The old portal, that existed since the very beginning of this DLR service, has been fundamentally overhauled, both in visual and technical respect.
It is offering now contemporary and comfortable access to the products of ZKI and to the information about recent activities and projects.
Ever since 2003 the ZKI offers to users via its web-portal fast, cost-free, and public access to its products.
Numerous relief organizations, decision makers and situation rooms have made use of the opportunity to download overall maps, damage maps, and reference material, derived and cartographically pre-processed from satellite- or aerial imagery, and to integrate this information into their aid- or prevention measures. Continue reading „Germany: Center For Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) Gets New Web Portal“
Posted in English, European Police, Space
By europolice on 31. August 2010
Bundesinnenminister Dr. Thomas de Maizière hat heute mit seinem ukrainischen Amtskollegen Anatolii Mogyliov das “Abkommen zwischen der Regierung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und dem Ministerkabinett der Ukraine über die Zusammenarbeit im Bereich der Bekämpfung der Organisierten Kriminalität, des Terrorismus und anderer Straftaten von erheblicher Bedeutung” unterzeichnet. Das Abkommen steigert die Wirksamkeit der deutsch-ukrainischen Zusammenarbeit bei der Bekämpfung der grenzüberschreitenden Organisierten Kriminalität und des internationalen Terrorismus und erhöht dadurch die innere Sicherheit in beiden Staaten.
Continue reading „BMI und ukrainischer Innenminister unterzeichnen Sicherheitsabkommen“
Posted in Border Control, Datenbanken, European Police
By europolice on 30. August 2010
NEW DELHI: After mobile phone maker BlackBerry, the government will issue notices to search engine Google, internet phone call provider Skype, service provider Virtual Private Network (VPN) and a few other entities to make available their services to law enforcement agencies.
The notices to these entities will be issued beginning tomorrow and all of them will be asked to comply with the directive or else they will have to close down their networks in India, a senior official said today.
„There will be no discrimination. All networks operating in India will have to give access to their services to law enforcement agencies,“ the official said. (more on indiatimes.com)
Posted in English, European Police, Kommunikation
By europolice on 30. August 2010
Humanitarian aid, emergency management and law enforcement support applications
HARMLESS aimed to promote the use of the applications of the European navigation satellite systems in the areas of emergency management, humanitarian aid and law enforcement, paying special attention to the cases where EGNOS and Galileo (as compared to GPS) are the enablers for those applications. The HARMLESS project encouraged dialogue between two different worlds: the GNSS sector and the user communities of emergency management, humanitarian aid and law enforcement. The project established a platform that can serve as a future reference. Continue reading „HARMLESS“
Posted in Border Control, English, European Police, Forschung, Space
By europolice on 30. August 2010
Die EU will »Radikale« erfassen, bleibt aber mit Absicht vage in der Definition, wer damit gemeint ist. Ein Gespräch mit Matthias Monroy
Interview: Frank Brendle
Matthias Monroy ist Journalist mit Schwerpunkt europäische Polizeizusammenarbeit
Die EU bereitet derzeit eine Art Frühwarnsystem vor, das »radikale« Personen orten soll. Was ist da im Busch?
Der EU-Rat hatte schon im Frühjahr angeregt, verstärkt Datenbanken abzugleichen bzw. neu einzurichten, um »Radikalisierungsprozesse« zu erfassen. Das reiht sich ein in bisherige Überwachungsprojekte, wie etwa »check the web«, mit dem das Internet nach strafbaren Inhalten durchforscht wird, oder in Projekte zur Beobachtung islamistischer Gefährder.
Dabei gehen die Begriffe »terroristisch« und »radikal« fließend ineinander über. Ein vorgeschlagener Fragebogen unterstellt strukturelle Ähnlichkeiten zwischen Neonazis, »Linksextremisten«, Globalisierungskritikern und Islamisten. Werden damit nicht auch solche Bewegungen von der Radikalendatei erfaßt, die die EU selbst für gewaltfrei hält?
Das erinnert stark an die hiesige Debatte über den sogenannten Extremismus, wo ja auch alles in einen Topf gerührt wird. Die EU bleibt bewußt so vage, weil sie ein Werkzeug schaffen will, mit dem man abweichende Meinungen kontrollieren und eventuell bekämpfen kann. Die Radikalendatei ist ja als Versuch gedacht, Risiken vorherzusagen und auszuschalten. Dabei wird der Verdachtsansatz so breit wie irgendwie möglich angelegt. Zu den interessanten Daten gehört alles, was ein Persönlichkeitsprofil möglich macht, auch höchstpersönliche Angaben wie zum Sexualverhalten und zum Gesundheitszustand. Die Daten können aus öffentlichen Quellen stammen, aber auch aus heimlichen Observationen. (weiter auf jungewelt.de)
Posted in BKA, Datenbanken, European Police, Europol, Software/ IT
By europolice on 30. August 2010
Alle bisher bekannt gewordenen Datensätze aus dem PNR-System zeigen, dass die US-Heimatschutzbehörden Zugang im Administratorrang zu den weltweiten Buchungssystemen haben, so der Flugdatenexperte Edward Hasbrouck im Gespräch mit ORF.at. Hasbrouck klagt seit 2006 nach US-Datenschutzrecht seine Regierung vergeblich auf Einsicht in sein Bewegungsprofil:
„Ich klage die Regierung, weil es für die Öffentlichkeit wichtig ist zu wissen, dass das Department of Homeland Security die Europäische Union angelogen hat“ schrieb Edward Hasbrouck in einer Aussendung zu seiner Klage.
Die Behauptungen seitens des Ministeriums für Heimatschutz, dass alle Anfragen für Zugang zu den gespeicherten „Passenger Name Records“ – also den Flugpassagierdaten (PNR) – beantwortet würden und dass es in den USA keinerlei Beschwerden über Datenmissbrauch gegeben habe, entsprächen überhaupt nicht der Wahrheit, so der bekannte Reisejournalist, Autor und Blogger. (weiter auf futurezone.orf.at)
Posted in Border Control, Datenbanken, European Police
By europolice on 29. August 2010
Toronto police are using hi-tech facial recognition software to comb through tens of thousands of images in the hunt for the ringleaders of the G20 riots, the lead investigator says.
The DVD images come from closed-circuit cameras installed throughout the downtown area, 12 metres above street-level, Det.-Sgt. Gary Giroux says.
Some of the 28,000 images from private and police cameras plus 500 to 600 videos have been given to a Canadian Bankers Association facial recognition specialist, Giroux said. „The analyst does have the materials.“
The team concentrated for weeks on identifying the most-easily-recognized suspects from the best photos, he said in an interview.
„We’re moving into an area we expect to be more of a challenge … the core crowd responsible for the large dollar value damage.“
Civilians turned in about 80% of the images police have, after public appeals for help in identifying thugs who burned four cruisers and smashed store windows, the detective said. (more on freerepublic.com)
Posted in Crowd Control, English, European Police, Software/ IT
By europolice on 27. August 2010
AK Zensur veröffentlicht BKA-Dokumente, die zeigen: das »Löschen« wurde bisher halbherzig durchgeführt, deswegen will BKA Sperren
In der Diskussion um die Einführung von Netzsperren wird von Seiten des BKA immer wieder behauptet, dass das Entfernen der Inhalte nicht möglich sei oder zu lange dauere. Erst hieß es, die Inhalte würden aus Bananenrepubliken verbreitet – erst als das Gegenteil nachgewiesen wurde, ließ man diese Behauptung fallen. Nun heißt es, die USA löschen zu langsam. Uns liegen jetzt Dokumente vor, die zeigen, was für aufmerksame Beobachter nicht zu übersehen ist: Die internationale Zusammenarbeit läuft schlecht, die Bemühungen zur Entfernung kinderpornografischer Inhalte waren bisher inkonsequent und unkoordiniert. Dennoch sagt das BKA auf Basis der bis dato gemachten Erfahrungen, Löschen funktioniere nicht gut genug – und betreibt weiterhin massive Lobbyarbeit für Access-Sperren und damit für die Anwendung des Zugangserschwerungsgesetzes. (weiter auf ak-zensur.de)
Posted in BKA, European Police, Kommunikation
By europolice on 27. August 2010
Protest against the informal EU Defence Summit 2010 (sept 23-24), Ghent, Belgium
Stop the European militarisation
During the Belgian presidency of the European Union (2nd half of 2010) the Ministers of Defence of the member states will gather for an informal summit, on September 23 and 24 in the town of Ghent. This summit will take place almost a year after the Lisbon Treaty became effective. This treaty implements a lot of instruments which pull the Union further on a track of militarisation and prepare for military interventions outside Europe. We oppose a summit that prepares for war. The European Union must not become an economic bloc with a military arm. Europe is to be a peace project which before all focuses on a social and ecological policy, which creates sustainable jobs, which garantees public services and protects social security, which realises a fair and just trade policy and invests in sustainable development. In short, Europe is to be a peace project that puts and end to neoliberal policies. We must make sure that development cooperation is not used at all for military purposes. Continue reading „Ghent, Belgium, September 23: Manifestation to oppose war preparation“
Posted in English, Militaer, Was tun?
By europolice on 27. August 2010
Since the crisis of Greece and the euro in early May, the European Union has become a political zombie: its neoliberal and monetarist brain is damaged, but it continues to create havoc and disaster. Merkel, whose inaction has escalated the cost of the financial crisis from €45 to €450 million, is imposing her mantra on Europe: Austerity, Austerity, Austerity. Cuts in public spending and wage freezes are imposed on a society already made precarious by the Great Recession. Greece, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium: nobody is sheltered from the attack on the european welfare state by global finance.
Barroso (Commission in Brussels) and Trichet (Central Bank in Frankfurt), although they would like to handle the crisis themselves instead of national governments, concur that only swift cuts can restore the faith of financial markets in the euro. International banks and speculators are demanding that all of us foot the bill for the deficits created two years ago to save their asses. Austerity will worsen the crisis, which has already made millions of precarious unemployed, and plunge the european economy into deflation, in a vicious circle of recession and unemployment, mounting xenophobia and nationalism. Continue reading „FUCK AUSTERITY! SMASH ECOFIN! FIGHT FOR AN ECO SOCIAL EUROPE!“
Posted in English, Was tun? |
By europolice on 26. August 2010
Nicht nur Terroristen, sondern auch extreme Rechte und Linke und Globalisierungskritiker stehen im Visier
Die EU plant nach dem Vorschlag der spanischen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft, die Überwachung vermeintlich Verdächtiger auszudehnen. Geplant ist die die Einführung „eines standardisierten, multidimensionalen semistrukturierten Instruments zur Erfassung von Daten und Informationen über die Radikalisierungsprozesse in der EU“. Das klingt ziemlich kompliziert und läuft unter der Rubrik Enfopol 99 (Enforcement Police), womit zunächst die europaweite Telekommunikationsüberwachung eingeführt wurde, im Zeichen der Terrorbekämpfung wurde die polizeiliche Zusammenarbeit ausgebaut.
Europol kommt darin eine wachsende Bedeutung zu (Europol wird internationaler Daten-Marktplatz). Dabei dient der Terrorismus nur noch als Mittel, um die Kompetenzen der Polizei und die EU-weite polizeiliche Zusammenarbeit zu erweitern. (weiter auf heise.de)
Posted in Datenbanken, European Police, Europol
By europolice on 25. August 2010
An Straßenansichten und ortsgebundener Werbung hat die EU wenig Interesse. Sie lässt erforschen, wie man alle Daten automatisch überwachen kann.
Man muss es nur öffentlich machen, damit die Ungeheuerlichkeit eines Vorhabens nicht auffällt. Das Hauptziel des bürokratisch „Indect“ getauften EU-Forschungsprojekts, heißt es auf der Homepage, sei, „eine Plattform aufzubauen, die Betriebsdaten registriert und austauscht, Multimedia-Inhalte erfasst und alle Information intelligent verarbeitet, damit Bedrohungen automatisch entdeckt und kriminelles Verhalten oder Gewalt erkannt wird“.
Mit anderen Worten: Indect will „Webseiten, Diskussionsforen, Newsgruppen, Fileserver, Peer-To-Peer-Networks und private Computer“ ebenso wie abertausende Überwachungskameras ständig durchkämmen. Die ganze Bevölkerung der EU: ein einziges Verdachtsszenario. (weiter auf derstandard.at)
Posted in Biometrie, Crowd Control, Datenbanken, European Police, Forschung, Policing Major Events, Software/ IT
By europolice on 24. August 2010
Digitally mediated surveillance (DMS) is an increasingly prevalent, but still largely invisible, aspect of daily life. As we work, play and negotiate public and private spaces, on-line and off, we produce a growing stream of personal digital data of interest to unseen others.
CCTV cameras hosted by private and public actors survey and record our movements in public space, as well as in the workplace. Corporate interests track our behaviour as we navigate both social and transactional cyberspaces, data mining our digital doubles and packaging users as commodities for sale to the highest bidder. Governments continue to collect personal information on-line with unclear guidelines for retention and use, while law enforcement increasingly use internet technology to monitor not only criminals but activists and political dissidents as well, with worrisome implications for democracy.This international workshop brings together researchers, advocates, activists and artists working on the many aspects of cyber-surveillance, particularly as it pervades and mediates social life. This workshop will appeal to those interested in the surveillance aspects of topics such as the following, especially as they raise broader themes and issues that characterize the cyber-surveillance terrain more widely: (more on surveillance-studies.net)
Posted in Datenbanken, English, European Police, Software/ IT, Was tun?
By europolice on 24. August 2010
by Dr. Ramon Barquin
Every nation in the world is well within its rights to use whatever legitimate tools they have at hand, including data mining, to protect its citizens from terrorism. That was at least the premise with which I approached and accepted the invitation to participate in a 2-day conference titled: Data Mining and Human Rights in the Fight Against Terrorism. It was held in connection with DETECTER, a research project undertaken by the European Union focusing on the “ethical and legal ramifications of the use of various detection and surveillance technologies in counter-terrorist efforts.” The project is being carried out by a consortium of seven European academic institutions and coordinated by the Centre for the Study of Global Ethics at the University of Birmingham, UK. I found the conference to be a fascinating and intellectually challenging exercise. (more on b-eye-network.com)
Posted in Datenbanken, English, European Police, Forschung, Software/ IT
By europolice on 24. August 2010
By ERIC BLAND
New crime prediction software being rolled out in the nation’s capital should reduce not only the murder rate, but the rate of many other crimes as well.
Developed by Richard Berk, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the software is already used in Baltimore and Philadelphia to predict which individuals on probation or parole are most likely to murder and to be murdered.
In his latest version, the one being implemented in D.C., Berk goes even further, identifying the individuals most likely to commit crimes other than murder.
If the software proves successful, it could influence sentencing recommendations and bail amounts. (more on abcnews.go).
Posted in Datenbanken, English, European Police, Software/ IT
By europolice on 24. August 2010
Prospect of French ‚anti-Roma‘ summit disturbs EU presidency
Belgium, which currently holds the EU’s six-month rotating presidency, may reject France’s invitation to a ministerial meeting for fear that Paris wants to use the event to legitimise its policy of rounding up and expelling Roma.“If it begins to be apparent that the meeting is only a meeting on the Roma and for France with their policy to give the impression that other EU countries approve of what they are doing, Belgium will not be keen to attend,“ an EU diplomatic source told EUobserver. Print Comment articleFrance’s immigration minister, Eric Besson, has invited his counterparts from four of the EU’s other „Big Six“ major economies – Italy, Spain, Germany and the UK – to an informal meeting on immigration in Paris on 6 September. (more on euobserver.com).
Posted in Border Control, English
By europolice on 24. August 2010
HONOR MAHONY
Italy has said it intends to expel citizens from other EU states if they are not able to support themselves, in a move apparently inspired by France’s current crackdown on Roma.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni told daily newspaper Corriere della Sera on Saturday (21 August) that French president Nicolas Sarkozy – whose recent actions include closing down Roma camps and deporting around 200 Roma to date – is „right.“
The minister, from the anti-immigrant Northern League Party, said that „if anything, it’s time to go a step further“ and referred to the mandatory expulsion of EU citizens who do not meet certain criteria. (more on euobserver.com)
Posted in Border Control, English, European Police
By europolice on 24. August 2010
The Brussels-based EU Situation Centre (EU SITCEN) monitors and assesses international events 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With the Lisbon Treaty having just come into force and no European External Action Service in place, the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake was a big challenge. Among the various EU players involved, how was SITCEN able to help?
The EU SITCEN Duty Officer received the first news alert about the Haiti earthquake at 23.01 CET (Central European Time) on 12 January 2010. Following procedures, he called the SITCEN Crisis Response Manager (an experienced SITCEN official who was on stand-by), who made the assessment that the catastrophic earthquake could also be politically significant for the EU. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR), Catherine Ashton, was alerted about what had happened shortly after midnight. In order to speed up the response time, the EU SITCEN management decided to keep the HR and other decision-makers regularly updated about the latest developments. The Duty Officer also contacted the Commissions’ Monitoring Information Centre (MIC) and the DG RELEX Crisis Room to ensure that they were also aware of the event. As is normal with any significant crisis, EU SITCEN stepped up its collection, processing and reporting efforts with regard to the situation in Haiti, mainly using open source intelligence. The EU SITCEN also activated its web-based information-sharing tools, both for general crisis information and for consular information. On these web sites, information such as situation reports and other documents from a variety of sources were published, ensuring an up-to-date flow of information. Continue reading „Crisis response to the Haiti earthquake – an EU SITCEN perspective“
Posted in Datenbanken, English, European Police, Europol, Militaer, Policing Major Events, Secret Service
By europolice on 20. August 2010
Jochen F. Rohlinger
Das Fraunhofer-Institut FKIE in Werthhoven hat einen Mini-Helikopter erworben, der Gefahrstoffe in unzugänglichem oder gefährlichem Gelände aufspüren, oder Hunderte Kilometer lange Leitungen überwachen kann. Der ferngesteuerte Hubschrauber ist 500.000 Euro teuer.
Wachtberg – Ein schönes neues Spielzeug haben die Mitarbeiter des Fraunhofer-Instituts FKIE in Werthhoven, und damit können sie rund ums Radom und übers Institutsgelände oberhalb Werthhovens fliegen. Man möchte es glauben, so wie Philippe Niquille, Assistent der Geschäftsführung des Schweizer Unternehmens Swiss UAV, das Produkt beschreibt: Der Mini-Helicopter „fliegt autonom“ erklärt der Schweizer, man brauche nur einen Joystick, um ihm klarzumachen, wohin.
Zur Flug-Premiere gestern kamen dann doch mehr interessierte Zuschauer als für eine Spielzeugvorführung. Und einige waren auch gar nicht zu sehen: Mitarbeiter der Fraunhofer-Institute hatten sich mit einem Passiv-Radar etwas unterhalb bei Gimmersdorf postiert, um die Flugbewegungen von dort aus zu beobachten. (weiter auf rundschau-online.de).
Posted in Drohnen, Forschung
By europolice on 20. August 2010
Apostolis Fotiadis
When Michalis Chrisohoidis, Greek minister of citizens‘ protection announced that FRONTEX, the European Agency for Border Control and Protection, would double its representation in this country in spring, it was clear that Greece is being charged with special responsibilities to apprehend and repatriate illegal migrants into Europe.
Speaking at a United Nations conference on security in the Mediterranean, last week, Chrisohoidis cited geography as one reason why Greece gets responsibility for border control, but said the measures would help both this country and the EU guarantee better security, while respecting the fundamental rights of what may be victims of smuggling rings.
Over the last year FRONTEX and Greek authorities have collaborated to establish a mechanism capable of detecting illegal immigration across the Aegean Sea and also deport migrants on repatriation flights.
FRONTEX, put in place in 2005 by the European Commission, is tasked with promoting a pan-European model of integrated border security, aimed at curbing irregular migrant influx into the EU which has skyrocketed during the last five years. FRONTEX started out with a budget of 6.2 million euros (8.5 million US dollars) annually, but this has now been raised to 83.2 million euros (115.3 million dollars) as it takes on more responsibilities. (more at ipsnews.net).
Posted in Border Control, English
