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Deutsch: ENDitorial: EU-Strategie der Inneren Sicherheit – Mein Hund ist eine...
The European Commission (EC) recently published its "Internal Security Strategy" - a wide-ranging security programme covering international crime networks, radicalisation, cybersecurity, border management and crisis/disaster management.
One almost amusing element is how it included "piracy" (meaning unauthorised downloads) as a security issue. The logic is very reminiscent of the 1980s British comedy "Yes Prime Minister" where a senior civil servant explains to a colleague how to argue to stop power being put in the hands of citizens. "All cats have four legs, so does my dog. So my dog is a cat". Counterfeiting is sometimes carried out by criminal gangs, who are a security threat. Counterfeiting is an intellectual property infringement. "Piracy" is an intellectual property infringement, so "piracy" is a security threat.
Meanwhile, some elements that are missing are also interesting. For example, the Strategy argues that "security should be integrated in relevant strategic partnerships" but, having accused major trading partners like the USA of failing to take action against online child abuse and international trade in abuse images, the strategy prioritises "trafficking in human beings, drugs trafficking and terrorism" for this action. Indeed, while the strategy covers, in the Commission's own words "seemingly petty crimes", the child abuse that was such a priority when tackling the symptoms via blocking, fails to get a single mention in the document.
With regard to cybercrime, the Strategy suggests the creation of a "cybercrime centre" to build operational and technical capacity, working with national Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). The proposal to have a centralized hub for reporting of all forms of illegal material (useful for creating multiple blocking lists for Internet access providers), which was first made under the French Presidency of the EU, is made again. However, this still does not have adequate political support, so the Strategy says that this will be introduced "if appropriate".
Even though no progress has been made on the Commission's proposals for an industry agreement for extra-judicial deletion of websites accused of child abuse, xenophobia or terrorism since the summer, the Strategy suggests that this will be achieved by 2011. The Commission has organised a meeting on 15 December 2010 with the industry to push its draft agreement, with a separate informal meeting the week before to discuss "outstanding issues".
Communication: The EU Internal Security Strategy in Action: Five steps
towards a more secure Europe (22.11.2010)
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2010/nov/eu-com-internal-security-strat...
Draft Agreement on Notice and Takedown
http://www.edri.org/files/Draft_Recommendations.pdf
Joint EDRI/EuroISPA response to Commission proposal (9.07.2010)
http://www.edri.org/files/090710_dialogue_NTD_illegal_content_EuroISPA...
Yes Minister
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpwSaiY_Ehk
EDRI-gram: EDRi and EuroISPA attack EC's demands for notice and takedown
(28.07.2010)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number8.15/edri-euroispa-notice-takedown-...
(contribution by Joe McNamee - EDRi)