The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) has presented its opinion to the European Commission on ITC implants in the human body. The EGE is an independent, multidisciplinary and pluralist advisory group, composed of twelve members. Though some implants, such as cardial pacemakers, are ethically unproblematic, non-medical implants pose a potential threat to the human dignity and democratic society, finds EGE. The principles of data protection must be applied as soon as any data can be collected through the implants about human bodies. Furthermore, ICT implants (in wearable computing such as RFID tags but also directly implanted under the skin with for example the VeriChip) should only be allowed if there are no other less invasive means of achieving the same

The EU Data Protection Working Party is calling for public comments on two working documents on emerging technologies. One document explores the privacy implications of RFID chips, the other document covers digital management of rights systems (DRM).

The RFID document outlines the potential use of RFID technology in various sectors and the need to comply with the basic principles set out in the EU data protection directives whenever personal data are collected using RFID technology. The paper also provides guidance to manufacturers of the technology (RFID tags, readers and applications) as well as RFID standardisation bodies. They have a responsibility to design privacy compliant technology in order to enable deployers of the technology to carry out their obligations under the data protection directives.

There is a renewed rumour that the European Central Bank is going to add spy chips (RFIDs) to Euro banknotes. 'Czerwensky intern', a German newsletter providing bank and insurance background reports, says the ECB might have already signed contracts with Hitachi, and is ready to introduce the spy-notes this year. Allegedly, the contract requires such a high volume of RFIDs that Hitachi can't deliver all chips itself, but has to rely on subcontractors.

Earlier rumours (dating back to 2001) about plans to track and trace all Euro notes with the help of RFIDs were strongly denied by the ECB. On 4 June 2003 EDRI-gram reported about a press release from Hitachi announcing negotiations about the contract to Japanese investors. The RFIDs in euro banknotes could help against counterfeiting and make it possible to detect

Think twice before buying a ticket to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. You can only apply for tickets online, and in order to obtain a ticket you will have to answer a questionnaire demanding a lot of personal data. This profile will be linked to a mini spy chip (RFID) on the ticket. Rena Tangens from the German privacy-organisation FoeBuD is calling on all fans to boycott the World Championship because "the World Cup is being abused by sponsors and the surveillance industry to introduce snooping-technology and to spy on the fans."

Tickets will be sold from 1 February onwards. The questionnaire demands date of birth, passport number, telephone and fax number, e-mail, bank or credit-card data, as well as team and club preferences. Fans are not only to hand over their own data but also those of others in whose name they

The Italian data protection authority (Garante della Privacy) has opened a consultation on privacy issues related to RFID tags, loyalty cards, digital TV (pay per view etc.) and video-telephoning. The Italian Winston Smith project (defending e-privacy since 1999) has responded with a specific legal proposal to control the use of RFID-tags. These mini-chips are becoming smaller and cheaper everyday, and can be read out at a distance. The main privacy-concern about the tags is that individual consumption-patterns can be tracked and traced by any outsider with a reader, especially when the individual purchaser is identified via a loyalty-card.

The Winston Smith Project wants legal rules that oblige manufacturers to make RFID tags easily identifiable and removable. Secondly, the presence, type and position of RFID tags must be clearly advertised on the packaging of an article and/or on the article itself. Thirdly they demand permanent deactivation of RFID tags when buying the product or when usage of the RFID tag has ended. Finally, they claim all data collected by RFID readers should be treated as personal data, to which all regular privacy-principles apply. Collection, storage and further processing may only happen within the boundaries of a strict and publicly known goal.

The European Union's Council of Ministers has decided, during its meeting yesterday, Monday, 13 December, to treat 400 million EU subjects like criminals.

By the beginning of 2008, every EU citizen and resident - with the exception of people living on the British isles and possibly in Denmark - will be fingerprinted when applying for a passport or other travel document. This procedure will be introduced in addition to digitalised facial photographs, which will be taken of every applicant already by the middle of 2006.

The data will be stored on emmbedded chips in the documents. These so-called RFID chips can be read out remotely, and there is so far no reliable way of securing the information contained on them. The project to establish a database holding holding the biometric data of all EU citizens to whom a document containing a biometrics chip has been issued was dropped.

On 24 November 2004 in Denmark a hearing was held on RFID and pervasive computing. During the hearing, a first draft of an industry code of conduct (drafted by Danish Industry, The Danish Consumer Council and the Danish Trade and Service Association) was presented, together with a report on the technical and legal challenges and lacunas.

The debate at the conference focussed at concerns for the optimistic (read privacy naive) approach towards privacy implications of RFID, especially with regard to new means of extensive storing, profiling and exchanging personal data. Representatives from the Danish Industry and others stressed that as long as chips are de-activated upon shop exit, the public should not be overly worried. Representatives from the Consumer council and The Danish Institute for Human Rights stressed the extensive and invasive individual mapping this could lead to. They recommended that privacy threats and compliance are more seriously addressed, and that Denmark should pay more attention to international developments and concerns.

Last week Big Brother Awards were presented in 3 different countries to a wide range of government officials, companies and institutions for violating privacy and promoting extensive control over citizens lives.

Seville in Spain hosted the 50st BBA event held worldwide on 30 October 2004, 6 years since Privacy International invented the ceremony in London. The Spanish jury awarded Zara, a fashion clothing store chain belonging to giant Inditex, for using RFID chips in some of their products. The Spanish jury also awarded a price to the shadow-government ordering the confiscation of servers of Indymedia in London. Shadow-government because "unfortunately, we are still to be told who that government is."

In Austria, a remarkable peoples price was awarded to the electric company of the city of Linz, for trying to stifle critics. Radio technicians discovered the powerline-technology could produce radio-interference. The technicians were not invited to discuss and help solve the issue, but sued for 'damage of credit', with a very intimidating demand for compensation of financial damages. On top of that a lawyer of the Linz Strom GmbH intervened in his role as member of the supervisory board of an Austrian media company to prevent the criticism from being spread.