Archived News

US Census Data on Arab Americans Given to Department of Homeland Security 04/08/2004
The Electronic Privacy Information Center obtained documents showing that the U.S. Census Bureau provided the Department of Homeland Security statistical data on people who identified themselves on the 2000 census as being of Arab ancestry.

Private Parts Online 2003 22/12/2003
The International Privacy Newswire.

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Inexplicable Measure Nominees 28/03/2003
Nominees, as nominated by the public.

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Egregious Security Measures Nominees 28/03/2003
Nominees, nominated by the public.

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Counter Productive Security Nominees 28/03/2003
More nominations from the public.

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Intrusive Security Measures Nominees 28/03/2003
A variety of nominations.

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Award Winners 28/03/2003

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Intrusive Measures Nominees 28/03/2003
Nominees, as selected by the public.

Last Chance to Comment on UK ID Card Proposal 02/01/2003
With only a few weeks left in the UK government's "silent consultation" on the National ID card, the government is still publicly claiming that there is majority support for ID cards, so now is the time to register your concern. Privacy International and STAND have joined forces to open the consultation fully to the public.

Previous FOI News 31/12/2002
See previous FOI news headlines going back to 1999

Private Parts Online 2002 22/12/2002
The International Privacy Newswire.

ID Card Proposal Receives No Confidence Vote in Public Hearing 12/12/2002
Privacy International's 11 December public meeting on the UK government's "Entitlement Card" proposal resulted in a unanimous vote of no-confidence in the plan. 250 participants, representing trades unions, business, media and the general public took a vote at the end of a three hour debate to extend the consultation period by a further six months. It also voted that the government should become "properly involved in creating a genuine public debate".

Taiwan Cabinet Approves FOI Bill 05/09/2002
The Executive Yuan approved the Law on Opening Government Information on 4 September.The bill requires the release of treaties, laws and regulations, contact information for government agencies, research papers, budgetary books and procurement contracts for public projects. Government information that should not be made public would include national secrets, yet-to-be-developed government policies and pending legal cases. The bill now goes to the Legislative Yuan for approval. (Taipei Times, 5 September 2002).

Romanian Commission Says EU Ambassador's Phone Was Not Tapped. 22/08/2002
The investigation launched by the parliamentary commission overseeing the activity of Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) has concluded that the SRI has not tapped EU Ambassador to Romania Jonathan Scheele's telephone, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported.

Slovakian Parliament Votes to Release Secret Police Files 19/08/2002
The parliament on 19 August overrode President Rudolf Schuster's veto and approved a law on opening the files of the communist secret police, TASR and international agencies reported. The vote was 82 in favor and 10 against, with 20 deputies abstaining or failing to cast a vote. The law was first passed on 10 July. The legislation keeps classified only the files of foreign nationals, those whose disclosure could "pose a threat to human life and public interest," and the personal data of people persecuted by the former secret police. The law also sets up an Institute for National Memory, where citizens can read the files. The institute will also gather documents on the crimes of the communist period, as well as the period when Slovakia was a Nazi puppet state. (RFE/RL, 21 August 2002).

Australia Privacy Law Gives Rise to Controversy 28/07/2002
Professor Roger Clarke reviews the controversy surrounding the privacy law in Australia and the unwillingness to adopt privacy sector regulation.

Serbian Prosecutor Orders Bugging Investigation 15/07/2002
Public prosecutor Rade Terzic said in Belgrade on 13 July that he has ordered police to investigate and, if warranted, file criminal charges in the imbroglio opened recently by General Nebojsa Pavkovic, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported.

Australian Senate Rejects Wiretap Amendment 28/06/2002
The Australian Senate voted on 28 June to reject the Telecommunications Interception Legislation Amendment Bill 2002.

UK Government Drops Plans to Expand Surveillance law 18/05/2002
The UK Home Office announced on June 17 that it was dropping plans to expand the number of government bodies who can conduct surveillance.

South Korean Wiretapping, Data Requests up in 2001 25/03/2002