90 civil rights organisations across Europe, the United States and other countries around the world have signed a long statement against the recent EU plans for mandatory data retention. Also 89 companies (mostly specialised in IT) have endorsed the statement that calls the plans 'invasive, illusory, illegal and illegitimate'. The statement was an anwer to an EU consultation on mandatory data retention, and presented during the workshop described above.

The full list of endorsements includes international organisations like APC International, the Association europeenne pour la defense des droits de l'Homme (FIDH-AE) and the Transnational Party, with the personal endorsement of Marco Cappato. Cappato was rapporteur of the Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communication (2002/58/EC) and did his utmost best to prevent the insertion of the current Article 15, which allows national governments to introduce data retention legislation.

PI / EDRI statement against mandatory data retention (15.09.2004)
http://www.privacyinternational.org/issues/terrorism/rpt/responsetoret...

Full list of endorsements (15.09.2004)
http://www.edri.org/node/view/193