<div dir="ltr">This is indeed very interesting and I'd talk to my fellow spanish pirates in order to address the subject.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 2:52 PM, Ricardo Cristof Remmert-Fontes <<a href="mailto:ricardo.cristof@remmert-fontes.de">ricardo.cristof@remmert-fontes.de</a>> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><br>
Dear friends of freedom!<br>
<br>
<br>
On the 11th of October 2008, human and civil rights organizations from<br>
all over Europe are planning protests in every European capital.<br>
<br>
This Pan-European campaign hopes to raise awareness for the need for<br>
greater freedom and democracy in Europe, as well as a protest against<br>
the security and intelligence apparatus of the state contravening human<br>
rights by means of surveillance, data retention and biometric databases<br>
across Europe.<br>
<br>
<br>
We believe that the retention of citizen's electronic communication<br>
violates fundamental human rights, like the right to privacy. It<br>
violates confidential communication between priests and confessors,<br>
journalists and their sources, doctors and patients, lawyers and<br>
clients. It does not increase the success of criminal investigations,<br>
but instead can be used to reveal political, business, and private<br>
communication and endangers the work of political, direct aid and<br>
refugee support groups.<br>
<br>
<br>
We would kindly ask you to support this Europe-wide protest by<br>
disseminating the call for action to your own members or organization<br>
and other like-minded organizations. In a lot of European countries,<br>
organizational, logistic and financial support is very welcome!<br>
<br>
* The goal is to form broad and sustainable movements in every<br>
EU-member state for freedom and democracy.*<br>
<br>
We would like to see hundreds of thousands of people everywhere to stand<br>
up for the vision of a just society.<br>
<br>
<br>
The European Call for Action will follow soon. Actually, we are working<br>
on it in an open process, so you are invited to participate.[3]<br>
You may find the draft Call for action below.<br>
Please note: it's a draft, feel free to edit and discuss. Deadline is<br>
20. July and it should be released by all participating organizations<br>
with an individual press Release an 25. July.<br>
<br>
<br>
We would also be happy if you and your national member organizations are<br>
kindly would sign and support the Call for Action and the campaign itself.<br>
<br>
<br>
You will understand that the whole campaign will cost a lot of money;<br>
for Germany alone we expect costs of 50-100.000 Euro. Thus, the<br>
organizations in the member states are asked to look for funding<br>
themselves and in every country money is desperately needed.<br>
<br>
We have set up an organizational website, where every country is listed.<br>
In some states the contact data of a main organizer are missing, which<br>
simply means, that every organization is welcome to start organizing<br>
protest there.<br>
<br>
If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to<br>
contact me, you'll find my contact data below.<br>
<br>
<br>
Best regards / Viele Grüße,<br>
Ricardo Cristof Remmert-Fontes<br>
- AK Vorrat -<br>
<br>
Fon: +49-30-692099223<br>
Fax: +49-700-25808789<br>
Mobile: +49-170-2487266<br>
<br>
<br>
+++++ Background: +++++<br>
<br>
The protest is based on an idea of the "AK Vorrat" ("German Working<br>
group on data retention"; <a href="http://www.ak-vorrat.de/" target="_blank">http://www.ak-vorrat.de/</a>), a german human<br>
rights group, which is supported in Germany by over 49 national<br>
organizations like human and civil rights groups, associations of<br>
journalists, lawyers and doctors, the associations of confessional and<br>
emergency help lines.[1][2]<br>
<br>
[1] The AK Vorrat has filed the largest "class-action" constitutional<br>
case of all times in Germany (as a symbol) against the adoption of the<br>
european directive on data retention (DR 2006/24/EC):<br>
<a href="http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/content/view/202/79/" target="_blank">http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/content/view/202/79/</a> (de/en)<br>
<br>
[2] Joint statement on the draft bill on telecommunications data<br>
retention of 49 organisations (including FFII Germany):<br>
<a href="http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/content/view/80/100/%28de/en" target="_blank">http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/content/view/80/100/<br>
(de/en</a>)<br>
<br>
[3] Link to Draft European Call for Action:<br>
<a href="http://wiki.ak-vorrat.de/Freedom_Not_Fear_2008/Call_for_action" target="_blank">http://wiki.ak-vorrat.de/Freedom_Not_Fear_2008/Call_for_action</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
+++++Draft Call for Action+++++<br>
<br>
*European Action Day "Freedom not fear - Stop the surveillance mania!"<br>
all over Europe on 11 October 2008*<br>
<br>
<br>
A broad movement of campaigners and organizations is calling on<br>
everybody to join action against excessive surveillance by businesses<br>
and governments. On 11 October 2008, concerned humans all over Europe<br>
will take to the streets, the motto being "Freedom not fear 2008".<br>
Peaceful and creative action, from protest marches to parties, will take<br>
place in many European capital cities.<br>
<br>
Surveillance mania is spreading. Governments and businesses register,<br>
monitor and control our behaviour ever more thoroughly. No matter what<br>
we do, who we phone and talk to, where we go, whom we are friends with,<br>
what our interests are, which groups we participate in - "big brother"<br>
government and "little brothers" in business know it more and more<br>
thoroughly. Increasingly, these databases are networked, searched, rated<br>
and otherwise utilized for discriminating people and affecting their<br>
lives without human any oversight.<br>
<br>
The resulting lack of privacy and confidentiality is putting at risk the<br>
freedom of confession, the freedom of speech as well as the work of<br>
doctors, helplines, lawyers and journalists.<br>
<br>
The manifold agenda of security sector reform encompasses the<br>
convergence of police, intelligence agencies and the military,<br>
threatening to melt down the division and balance of powers.<br>
<br>
Using methods of mass surveillance, the borderless cooperation of the<br>
military, intelligence services and police authorities is leading<br>
towards a "Fortress Europe", directed against refugees and<br>
different-looking people but also affecting, for example, political<br>
activists, the poor and under-priviledged, and sports fans.<br>
<br>
People who constantly feel watched and under surveillance cannot freely<br>
and courageously stand up for their rights and for a just society. Mass<br>
surveillance is thereby threatening the fabric of a democratic and<br>
inclusive society.<br>
<br>
Mass surveillance is also endangering the work and commitment of civil<br>
society organizations.<br>
<br>
Surveillance, distrust and fear are gradually transforming our society<br>
into one of uncritical consumers who have "nothing to hide" and - in a<br>
vain attempt to achieve total security - are prepared to give up their<br>
freedoms. We do not want to live in such a society!<br>
<br>
We believe the respect for our privacy to be an important part of our<br>
human dignity. And of course, free and responsible society needs private<br>
and trustworthy communication as well as private spaces.<br>
<br>
However, with the blanket collection of information on all European<br>
airline passengers and the disclosure of Europeans' personal data to the<br>
US, even more intrusive surveillance powers are on the insatiable<br>
political agenda. Yet, the increasing electronic registration and<br>
surveillance of the entire population does not make us any safer from<br>
crime, costs millions of Euros and puts the privacy of innocent citizens<br>
at risk. Under the reign of fear and blind actionism, targeted and<br>
sustained security measures fall by the wayside, as well as tackeling<br>
peoples' actual daily problems such as unemployment and poverty.<br>
<br>
In order to protest against security mania and excessive surveillance we<br>
will take to the streets in capital cities all over Europe on 11 October<br>
2008. We call on everybody to join our peaceful protest. Politicians are<br>
to see that we are willing to take to the streets for the protection of<br>
our liberties.<br>
<br>
You can find the latest information on the protest marches and the list<br>
of participating cities at our website:<br>
<a href="http://wiki.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/Freedom_Not_Fear_2008" target="_blank">http://wiki.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/Freedom_Not_Fear_2008</a>.<br>
<br>
<br>
Our demands<br>
<br>
1. Cutback on surveillance<br>
<br>
* abolish the blanket logging of our communications and locations<br>
(data retention)<br>
* abolish the blanket collection of our biometric data as well as<br>
RFID passports<br>
* abolish the blanket collection of genetic data<br>
* abolish permanent CCTV camera surveillance and automatic<br>
detection techniques<br>
* scrap funding for the development of new surveillance techniques<br>
* no blanket registration of all air travellers (PNR data)<br>
* no information exchange with the US and other states lacking<br>
effective data protection<br>
* no searches of private computer systems, neither online nor offline<br>
* no surveillance and filtering of internet communication<br>
<br>
<br>
2. Guaranteeing freedom of expression, dialogue and information<br>
<br>
* Prohibit the installation of filtering infrastructure on ISP's<br>
networks.<br>
* Ensure Internet users can access to the judge in matter of<br>
freedom of expression: Only an independent and impartial judge can<br>
request removal of content.<br>
* Prohibit the internet contract termination as legal sanction.<br>
* Ensure the strict neutrality of technical intermediaries: FAI,<br>
and hosting providers do not ahve to monitor, judge and censor the<br>
published content.<br>
* Create a full right to quote multimedia, today indispensable to<br>
public debate in democracies.<br>
* Protect common internet places of Expression (participatory<br>
sites, forums, comments on blogs) today threatened by inadequate laws<br>
encouraging self-censorship (chilling effect)<br>
<br>
<br>
3. Evaluation of existing surveillance powers<br>
<br>
We call for an independent review of all existing surveillance powers as<br>
to their effectiveness and harmful side-effects.<br>
<br>
<br>
4. Moratorium for new surveillance powers<br>
<br>
After the homeland armament of the past few years we demand an immediate<br>
hold to new homeland security laws that further restrict civil liberties.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
Arbeitskreis Vorratsdatenspeicherung<br>
c/o Humanistische Union e.V.<br>
Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte<br>
Greifswalder Strasse 4<br>
D-10405 Berlin<br>
<br>
Fon: +49-30-94881297<br>
Fax: +49-700-25808789<br>
Mobile: +49-170-2487266<br>
Jabber: <a href="mailto:rcrf@jabber.org">rcrf@jabber.org</a><br>
E-Mail: <a href="mailto:rcrf@vorratsdatenspeicherung.de">rcrf@vorratsdatenspeicherung.de</a><br>
Web: <a href="http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de" target="_blank">http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de</a><br>
<br>
My GnuPG-Key:<br>
<a href="http://cristof.remmert-fontes.de/downloads/pgpkey_rcrf.zip" target="_blank">http://cristof.remmert-fontes.de/downloads/pgpkey_rcrf.zip</a><br>
Key-ID: 25038B2F<br>
Fingerprint: 5EA8 EF99 1B99 04DF 70C8 5F6E 85BC CA54 2503 8B2F<br>
<br>
<br>
Best regards/Viele Grüße,<br>
Ricardo Cristof Remmert-Fontes<br>
<br>
--<br>
Strassmannstrasse 10<br>
D-10249 Berlin<br>
<br>
Fon: +49-30-94881297<br>
Fax: +49-700-25808789<br>
Mobile: +49-170-2487266<br>
<br>
Skype: ricardo.cristof<br>
VoIP/SIP (Sipgate): 2227012<br>
Jabber (Instant Messaging): <a href="mailto:rcrf@jabber.org">rcrf@jabber.org</a><br>
<br>
E-Mail: <a href="mailto:rcrf@vorratsdatenspeicherung.de">rcrf@vorratsdatenspeicherung.de</a><br>
Web: <a href="http://cristof.remmert-fontes.de" target="_blank">http://cristof.remmert-fontes.de</a><br>
<br>
My GnuPG-Key:<br>
<a href="http://cristof.remmert-fontes.de/downloads/pgpkey_rcrf.zip" target="_blank">http://cristof.remmert-fontes.de/downloads/pgpkey_rcrf.zip</a><br>
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</blockquote></div><br></div>