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Wiretapping on the rise in Europe The State \|\| April 12, 2006 ROME — In Europe, Big Brother is listening — and being allowed to hear more and more. Since the Sept. 11 attacks and the terrorist bombings that followed in Madrid and London, authorities across the continent are getting more powers to electronically eavesdrop, and they are meeting less apparent opposition than President Bush did over his post-9/11 wiretapping program. As part of a package of European Union anti-terrorism measures, the European Parliament in December approved legislation requiring telecommunications companies to retain phone date and Internet logs for a minimum of six months in case they are needed for criminal investigations. In Italy, which experts agree is the most wiretapped Western democracy, a report to parliament in January by Justice Minister Roberto Castelli said the number of authorized wiretaps more than tripled from 32,000 in 2001 to 106,000 last year. Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com Italy passed a terrorism law after the July 7 subway bombings in London that opened the way for intelligence agencies to eavesdrop if an attack is feared imminent. Only approval from a prosecutor — not a judge — is required, but the material gleaned cannot be used as evidence in court. Similar laws have been approved in France and the Netherlands or proposed elsewhere in Europe, leading some to say the terrorist threat is giving authorities a pretext to abuse powers. “There is clearly a legitimate role for surveillance. It’s a question of what the safeguards are,” said Ben Ward, associate director of the European and Asian division of Human Rights Watch. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Weekly Features Archive
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Wiretapping on the rise in Europe

The State || April 12, 2006

ROME — In Europe, Big Brother is listening — and being allowed to hear more and more.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks and the terrorist bombings that followed in Madrid and London, authorities across the continent are getting more powers to electronically eavesdrop, and they are meeting less apparent opposition than President Bush did over his post-9/11 wiretapping program.

As part of a package of European Union anti-terrorism measures, the European Parliament in December approved legislation requiring telecommunications companies to retain phone date and Internet logs for a minimum of six months in case they are needed for criminal investigations.

In Italy, which experts agree is the most wiretapped Western democracy, a report to parliament in January by Justice Minister Roberto Castelli said the number of authorized wiretaps more than tripled from 32,000 in 2001 to 106,000 last year.

Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com

Italy passed a terrorism law after the July 7 subway bombings in London that opened the way for intelligence agencies to eavesdrop if an attack is feared imminent. Only approval from a prosecutor — not a judge — is required, but the material gleaned cannot be used as evidence in court.

Similar laws have been approved in France and the Netherlands or proposed elsewhere in Europe, leading some to say the terrorist threat is giving authorities a pretext to abuse powers.

“There is clearly a legitimate role for surveillance. It’s a question of what the safeguards are,” said Ben Ward, associate director of the European and Asian division of Human Rights Watch.

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