(RSF/IFEX) – On 24 May 2002, RSF called on members of the European Parliament to vote against Article 15 of a proposed amendment to the 1997 European Directive on the Protection of Telecommunications Data and Information, which will be considered by the European Parliament on 29 May. “The trend towards abuses in the name of […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 24 May 2002, RSF called on members of the European Parliament to vote against Article 15 of a proposed amendment to the 1997 European Directive on the Protection of Telecommunications Data and Information, which will be considered by the European Parliament on 29 May.
“The trend towards abuses in the name of security since the 11 September 2001 attacks must not lead to laws reducing freedom of expression for Europeans,” said RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard in a letter to European Parliament President Pat Cox. “[The passage of] such an article would jeopardise the right of journalists not to reveal their sources, as well as the confidentiality of professional and personal communications, by allowing unrestricted interception, storage and inspection of the content of phone calls, faxes, e-mails and web navigation,” added Ménard.
Article 15 of the amendment, proposed by the Council of the European Union (EU), would allow EU member-states to pass laws authorising the government to keep data about people’s telephone and Internet communications and allow police, customs, immigration and intelligence services to have access to the data.
The 1997 directive only allows such data to be kept for a short while and for specific purposes, after which it must be destroyed. The Council has been contemplating such an amendment for years but members of the European Parliament and critical public opinion have stood in the way. The amendment is being called for by several EU member-states as part of anti-terrorism measures, according to the non-governmental organisation Statewatch.
More information is available on the following website: www.enduring-freedoms.net.
