[FYI] (Fwd) Silicon.com: Secret Service paranoia whips up snooping s

["Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>]

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From:           	Owen Blacker <owen.blacker@wheel.co.uk>
To:             	"UK Crypto list (E-mail)" <ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk>
Copies to:      	"Anoraks YahooGroup (E-mail)" <anoraks@yahoogroups.com>
Subject:        	Silicon.com: Secret Service paranoia whips up snooping storm
Date sent:      	Mon, 19 Mar 2001 14:09:33 -0000
Send reply to:  	ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk


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> HEADLINE: Secret Service paranoia whips up snooping storm
> PUBLISHED: 2:42pm on Friday 16th March 2001
> CHANNEL: Power brokers
> AUTHOR: Peter Warren
> SERVICE: http://www.silicon.com
> 
> TEXT OF STORY FOLLOWS:
> 
> Privacy activists have come under fire from European 
> legislators for cynically manipulating fears of state snooping.
> 
> The storm was whipped up when leading privacy lobbyists 
> claimed certain intelligence agencies, including the FBI and 
> the FSB (the body which replaced the KGB), have been covertly 
> involved in drafting key legislation.
> 
> The debate centres around the Convention on Cybercrime, which 
> is currently in its 23rd draft. If accepted, it will become 
> law in the Council of Europe's 43 member states and will 
> standardise regulations on hacking and copyright violation. 
> It will also define boundaries of taste for website content, 
> and may be adopted as a template for similar legislation 
> throughout the world.
> 
> The European response comes in the wake of allegations from 
> privacy lobby groups that both the FBI and the FSB have made 
> significant contributions to the draft bill.
> 
> According to a source close to the situation, Henrik 
> Kasperson, one of the leading members of the panel drawing up 
> the legislation, accused the Council of Europe of collusion 
> with the FSB.
> 
> But this was vigorously denied by the Council of Europe. 
> Peter Csonka, a European spokesman for the cybercrime bill, 
> said that raising the spectre of intelligence agency 
> involvement is simply an attempt by civil liberties groups to 
> discredit the bill.
> 
> Csonka said: "Neither the FSB or the Russian Government have 
> been involved in this. It is in the interests of these groups 
> to misrepresent this whole drafting process."
> 
> The civil liberties lobby is concerned that attempts to curb 
> racism and associated activities could be broadened under 
> such laws to criminalise the websites of political 
> organisations which are not approved of by European governments. 
> 
> Documents obtained by silicon.com add some credence to 
> Kasperson's claim. The documents contain minutes of a closed 
> session of security and intelligence experts, including 
> members of the FSB. They clearly demonstrate that the current 
> Russian administration wishes to be involved in what is 
> likely to become a global cybercrime blueprint.
> 
> One of President Vladimir Putin's top advisors is recorded as 
> saying that one of the key aims of Russian information 
> security policy will be the "harmonisation of standards 
> relative to informatization (sic) and information security of 
> computer... and telecoms systems".
> 
> Inquiries by silicon.com have also determined that Russian 
> interests have been represented in the debate over cybercrime 
> in Europe by quasi government lobbying organisations, unknown 
> to European legislators.
> 
> For related news, see:
> Cops and spooks scale the summit of cybercrime
> http://www.silicon.com/a42546 
> Political heavyweights meet to debate cybercrime
> http://www.silicon.com/a40411  
> FBI picks up Emulex hoax suspect
> http://www.silicon.com/a39405 
> 
> 
> STORY ENDS
> 
> For more information on silicon.com go to http://www.silicon.com.
> 
> silicon.com - the who, what, when, where and why of ebusiness

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