[eccr] Commission distances itself from surveillance proposal

Title: Commission distances itself from surveillance proposal

Commission distances itself from surveillance proposal

The information, known as traffic data, would be held in central computer systems and made available to all EU governments.
The Commission attempted Tuesday to distance itself from the controversial Danish proposal on data surveillance. 

"The proposal comes from the Danish presidency" said a spokesman before adding that the Commission "would look into this" and "add comments too."

Denmark, which is holding the EU presidency for this half the year has sent a proposal for a framework agreement including controversial aspects such as the storing of records of personal communications, including all emails and telephone calls, for at least a year. The information, known as traffic data, would be held in central computer systems and made available to all EU governments.

Civil liberties groups are worried that the information will be abused. "The right to privacy in our communications - e-mails, phone-calls, faxes and mobile phones - was a hard-won right which which is no at risk to be been taken away. Under the guise of fighting "terrorism" everyone's communications are to be placed under surveillance," commented Tony Bunyan, the editor of Statewatch.

The proposal, initially drawn up by the Belgian presidency and taken over by the Danish, will be discussed and moderated among the relevant directorate generals in the EU Commission before being approved by the college of commissioners. It will then be debated in the technical groups around the Council before finally being put on the Council's agenda to be debated by the ministers of the member states. But as the Commission spokesman hastened to add, "it is the very early stages still." 

Source: http://www.euobserver.com/index.phtml?sid=9&aid=7304