[P2P-F] Fwd: [opennetcoalition] European Commission Must Listen to Parliament's Call to Act Against Surveillance Programmes

Fri Mar 14 01:44:44 CET 2014

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: La Quadrature du Net <contact at laquadrature.net>
Date: Thu, Mar 13, 2014 at 3:44 AM
Subject: [opennetcoalition] European Commission Must Listen to Parliament's
Call to Act Against Surveillance Programmes
To: opennetcoalition at laquadrature.net

Themes: SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMMES, NSA, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, SAFE HARBOR,
TRANS-ATLANTIC FREE TRADE AGREEMENT, TTIP, TAFTA, EDWARD SNOWDEN

La Quadrature du Net - For immediate release

Permanent link:
https://www.laquadrature.net/en/european-commission-must-listen-to-parliaments-call-to-act-against-surveillance-programmes

European Commission Must Listen to Parliament's Call to Act Against
Surveillance Programmes

*** ERRATUM: Due to a misreading of the final report, the press release
published yesterday on this subject by La Quadrature du Net contained
errors on the content of the resolution adopted by the European Parliament
on 12  March 2014 regarding Safe Harbor's suspension. These errors are
corrected in the text below. We apologise for any inconvenience. ***

*** Paris, 12 March 2014 -- Today, the European Parliament passed an
important resolution [1] condemning the US and EU surveillance programmes
[2]. La Quadrature du Net welcomes this non-binding resolution as it calls
for the suspension of both the "Safe Harbor" agreement and of the illegal
mass surveillance programmes and reaffirms the importance of the protection
of citizens' fundamental right to privacy. Ahead of European elections [3],
citizens should now act to ensure that privacy will be a major concern of
the next legislative period so that this call is listened to by the
European Commission. ***

The resolution adopted today results from Claude Moraes' (S&D - UK) report,
voted in February 2014 by the "Civil Liberties" (LIBE) committee, in
response to revelations by Edward Snowden of the massive surveillance
programme established by the United States with the willing support of
several European Union member states. By adopting this report, the European
Parliament reaffirms some self-evident truths, such as that citizens' right
were violated and the fact that journalists, lawyers, and doctors are
targeted, makes the situation even worse. It also calls for essential,
though obvious, actions, such as the end of illegal mass surveillance
programmes.

The most important signal sent by this resolution however is when it "calls
on the Commission to present measures providing for the immediate
suspension of" the Safe Harbor [4] agreement. This is precisely what La
Quadrature du Net and other civil society organisations have been demanding
since the beginning of Edward Snowden's revelations. The suspension of this
agreement, if enacted by the European Commission, would represent a
concrete and effective measure, a necessary step to put a stop to the mass
surveillance of European citizens. It would also push renegotiation of
transatlantic relations on this matter. Unfortunately, resolutions are
non-binding, and it is thus now the duty of the European Commission to
enact effective measures, to suspend the unlimited transfer of personal
data to the US, and thereby strongly encourage the US to adapt their laws
to meet existing and upcoming European Union standards on data protection.

However, the rejection of amendments [5] calling for the offer of support
to Edward Snowden is regrettable, given that without him, the existence of
the mass surveillance programmes against which the Parliament protested in
this resolution would not have been known to the extent that it is today.
Similarly, the timid warning that the Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement
[6] "could be endangered" by mass surveillance activities is encouraging,
but far too weak. This is especially regrettable given that a recently
leaked document [7] demonstrated that other civil society concerns were
justified [8]. This timidity is all the more deplorable because positive
amendments [9] were tabled, which called for an immediate suspension of the
negotiations.

"Today's European Parliament vote is a powerful statement, as it calls to
the suspension of the 'Safe Harbour'. This resolution affirmed that the
massive violation of fundamental rights of European citizens is not
acceptable and must end without delay. It is now the duty to the European
Commission to listen to this call and to enact it into effective measures.
Ahead of European elections, La Quadrature du Net calls on citizens to urge
for strong and meaningful acts and ensure that the suspension of the 'Safe
harbor' becomes a reality" concluded Benjamin Sonntag, cofounder of the
citizen advocacy group La Quadrature du Net.

* References *

1.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A7-2014-0139+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

2. https://nsa-observer.laquadrature.net/

3. http://wepromise.eu/

4.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Safe_Harbor_Privacy_Principles

5. For example, amendment 29: "21a. Calls on the United States and the
Member States to drop criminal charges, if any, against Edward Snowden, and
on the Member States to grant him refugee status or international
protection status and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by
third parties, in recognition of his status as a whistleblower and
international human rights defender;"

6. https://www.laquadrature.net/en/tafta

7. https://www.laquadrature.net/files/TAFTA_leak_ZEIT_20140227.pdf

8. The leaked confidential European Commission's draft proposal on trade in
services, investment and e-commerce published by Zeit Online shows that
secret negotiations on TAFTA include controversial provisions on so called
"intellectual property rights", the liability of intermediary service
providers, and on the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS):
http://www.zeit.de/wirtschaft/2014-02/freihandelsabkommen-eu-sonderrechte-konzerne

9. For example amendment 32: "73. *Calls for an immediate suspension* of
the *TTIP agreement negotiations as long as the blanket mass surveillance
activities and bulk processing of personal data, as well* as the
interception of communications in EU institutions and diplomatic
representations, are not *fully stopped* and an adequate solution *for* the
data privacy rights of EU citizens, including administrative and judicial
redress, *has not been found; underlines the fact that* Parliament *will*
only consent to the final TTIP agreement provided that the agreement fully
respects, *among other things*, the fundamental rights recognised by the EU
Charter, and *that* the protection of the privacy of individuals in
relation to the processing and dissemination of personal data remain
governed by Article XIV of the GATS; stresses that EU data protection
legislation cannot be deemed an 'arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination'
in the application of Article XIV of the GATS;"

** About La Quadrature du Net **

La Quadrature du Net is an advocacy group that defends the rights and
freedoms of citizens on the Internet. More specifically, it advocates for
the adaptation of French and European legislations to respect the founding
principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge.

In addition to its advocacy work, the group also aims to foster a better
understanding of legislative processes among citizens. Through specific and
pertinent information and tools, La Quadrature du Net hopes to encourage
citizens' participation in the public debate on rights and freedoms in the
digital age.

La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, European and international
NGOs including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society
Institute and Privacy International.

List of supporting organisations:
https://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-la-quadrature-du-net

** Press contact and press room **

contact at laquadrature.net, +33 (0) 972 294 426

https://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room

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-- 
*Please note an intrusion wiped out my inbox on February 8; I have no
record of previous communication, proposals, etc ..*

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