Security

The FBI Negotiates for European Private Data Access

The European Commission intends to provide the FBI with citizen data

By George Craciun, Security News Editor

1st of July 2008, 11:11 GMT

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FBI tries to gain access to private citizen data in order to fight terrorism

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the European Commission are close to coming to a conclusion in an agreement that would allow the American organization to access private EU citizen data such as credit card history and frequently visited web pages. Privacy organizations are strongly contesting this agreement and say they will sue the EU Commission.

Privacy International's director, Simon Davies, had this to say: "It is very much on the cards for Privacy International, or one of the other civil rights organizations, to take legal action against Brussels. It would depend very much on how the framework has been established. We will have to see the text, consult the legal experts and see where we stand."

The EU Commission and the FBI are adopting a very "cloak-and-dagger" approach and have yet to disclose any relevant information about the agreement. Simon Davies continues: "One of the key problems is the secrecy which has surrounded the terms. We have no knowledge about where our information will flow once it reaches the U.S. In all respects, this is a bad deal for Europeans. It plays into the hands of the U.S. in the worst possible way."

The war against terror seems to be the reason why the FBI wants access to this information and, by getting it, it would be able to better tackle the issue of international terror and terrorism. Although the agreement is meant to make data provision considerably easier, there are some who say the exchange is not in favor of EU citizens.

Privacy International was founded in 1999 in London and is a human rights group. Its main goal is to keep a close eye on the government and corporations that attempt to disregard the right to privacy. All people are entitled to their privacy and no government or corporation can invade it. The group operates from offices in London and Washington D.C.

TAGS:

FBI | citizen data | privacy

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