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EU-USA: The US is placing under surveillance e-mails, phone-calls, and internet usage and transactions of Europeans

01 April 2008

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American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Letter to the President of the EU Article 29 Data Protection Working Party (pdf)

The letter, from Barry Steinhardt, Director of ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program, says that US agencies, through agreements with EU service providers which allow data and content to "pass through" the USA, is conducting extrajudicial surveillance of Europeans.

- "Internet transactions and email between Europeans is increasingly sent through servers in the U.S."

- "In many ways this situation is similar to the SWIFT case: transactions between two individuals in Europe may well transit through U.S. telecommunications companies and as a result will be made accessible to the U.S. government."

- "This activity involves no oversight or legal protections for non-U.S. persons. As a result, the communications of European citizens are completely vulnerable to abuse."

- "We believe that this situation clearly violates European legal requirements for the fair and lawful processing of personal information."

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