Masthead graphic based on a painting by Gudrun Thriemer.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

"From US to Sweden, Eavesdropping Legislation Causes Online Uproar," Weely NetPulse, July 4, 2008.

its not just Americans who aren't buying into the idea of 'sacrificing liberty for security'


From the United States to Sweden, lawmakers approving government eavesdropping legislation has caused an online upheaval.

In the US, Senator Barack Obama's website is being used by his own supporters to protest his switch on telecom immunity. TechPresident has done a phenomenal job of covering the MyBO group, Senator Obama - Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity - Get FISA Right, so we'll let them take it from here.

But its not just Americans who aren't buying into the idea of 'sacrificing liberty for security'...Swedes are causing an online uproar over lawmakers voting 'yes' to eavesdropping legislation as well.

The Swedish FRA Act, passed two weeks ago, will allow the National Defense Radio Establishment to eavesdrop on all cross-border emails, phone calls and faxes without a court order. A poll revealed that only 31% of Swedes are for the FRA Act.

Expressen, a Swedish tabloid newspaper, is responsible for creating the email script that has been used to send 6.6 million emails to flood the inboxes of the 143 Swedish lawmakers who recently voted 'yes' what has been called "the most far-reaching eavesdropping plan in Europe."

As one blogger put it, "The surveillance and information gathering will become the national standard...Privacy will be a historical artifact."

Our take - POL has been saying for a long time that somewhere, someday, online privacy issues will merge with online activism to create a firestorm. 6.6 million emails is a lot of emails - 6.6 emails in a country with a population of 9 million is a firestorm.

It will happen again and again, in lots of places about lots of issues.
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