Member nations of the European Union are in secret talks, which include the United States, to implement a “Great Firewall Of Europe” which will block and censor online content to all nations in Europe. The proposal is very similar to the China firewall which blocks access to blogs, social networking sites and all foreign news websites that publish anything that contradicts official state sponsored propaganda. We are tipped off with a post by Glyn Moody: “The Presidency of the EU’s Law Enforcement Working Party wants to create [PDF] ‘a single secure European cyberspace with a certain “virtual Schengen border” and “virtual access points” whereby the Internet Service Providers (ISP) would block illicit contents on the basis of the EU “black-list.”‘ Leaving aside the fact that this won’t work for lots of reasons, how seriously can you take anyone talking about ‘cyberspace’ in 2011?” Opening the referenced PDF we see the minutes of the EU Council meeting on March 3rd, 2011. Under Point 8 the announcement is made that EU delegations will discuss the creation of a “black-list” that will be provided to ISP’s to block illicit content during a conference in Budapest on April 12th and April 13th. 8. Cybercrime Source: Council Of The European Union A press release on the US embassy website to Hungary informs us that the US Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano also attended the conference. Notice the Doublespeak in the press release as the phrase “information sharing” is used in place of “censorship” Embassy Of The United States - Budapest Hungary Press Releases 2011 Statement by Press Secretary Matt Chandler on Secretary Napolitano’s Upcoming Visit to Budapest, Hungary Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will travel to Budapest, Hungary on April 13-14 to meet with her European counterparts and to participate in a European Cybercrime Forum, as well as the biannual U.S.-European Union Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Ministerial Meeting. During the meeting, Secretary Napolitano will join Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss a number of counterterrorism and homeland security issues including international collaboration to enhance information sharing, strengthen cybersecurity and ensure the security and resilience of our global supply chain systems against terrorism and transnational crime. More details on the trip will be released once they are finalized. Attorney General Eric Holder to Travel to Hungary and Slovenia WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder will travel to Budapest, Hungary, and Ljubljana, Slovenia this week for meetings with his foreign counterparts and to participate in the EU-U.S. Ministerial Meeting. Attorney General Holder will meet with European leaders to discuss international law enforcement cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism, cybercrime, and transnational organized crime, as well as other national security issues.Attorney General Holder will depart for Budapest on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, and will return from Slovenia on Friday, April 15, 2011 Immediately after the discussion the Hungarian Council of the European Nation issued a press release calling on member nations to take immediate action. EU And US Leaders Meet To Discuss Europe Wide Censorship Firewall Participants had an expert discussion on the cooperation of different law enforcement organisations in the field of cybercrimes. They also exchanged views on opportunities of cooperation with non-governmental organisations. The EU is a popular target According to the statistics, the European Union is a popular target for cyber criminals, as it has a developed and expanding internet infrastructure. In recent years, even organised crime groups have spent part of their profit on developing software which would makes it easier to commit traditional crimes. In his keynote speech, Hungarian Minister for Internal Affairs, Sándor Pintér, emphasised the damage these criminals could cause in every field of our lives, “We must prevent them from intruding our companies and installing false data and viruses driving businesses to bankrupt; we must prevent them from causing harm to the banking system and to people’s private life.” In connection with the cooperation between countries and authorities, Mr Pintér underlined the importance of the proper use of registers run by Europol, the EU’s criminal intelligence agency, in order to force back and investigate cybercrimes, violation of copyrights and cash-substitute payment instrument frauds. Mr Pintér talked about the possibility of a continuous common “patrol service” on the internet. According to him, rapid reaction is most important, as “Sometimes the same cybercrime is committed in 10 to 12 countries, at the same time”. Budapest Convention “We celebrate a kind of birthday”, Hungarian Minister of Public Administration and Justice, Tibor Navracsics said at the press conference, following the event referring to the fact that the conference had been organised for the tenth anniversary of signing the so called Budapest Convention; an agreement of the Council of Europe on fighting computer crime. “Budapest Convention provides a massive basis and proper legal framework for fighting cybercrime, which is proven by the fact that it has been ratified by 30 states,” Mr Navracsics emphasised, adding that the cooperation needs to be improved. Breakthrough in the Council The minister mentioned the breakthrough brought by the discussion of the draft guidelines against cybercrime at the Justice and Home Affairs Council’s official session in Luxembourg on 12 April 2011. The proposal in question aims to modernise the Framework Decision of 2005, and qualifies the use of devices (including computer programmes, passwords, access codes and similar data) as crime, and to extend it on to crimes committed with stolen identity; and also qualifies the theft of computer data as crime. “We have discussed the draft guidelines and hopefully the Council will adopt a general approach in connection with it as soon as possible”, Mr Navracsics said concluding his speech. Cybercrimes and organised crime “By now, cybercrime has become part of organised crime”, Commissioner Responsible for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmstörm said, calling attention to a new aspect of the problem at the press conference. In her opinion, presently the most important task is to enable Member States to intensify their readiness for possible attacks. Ms Malmström also mentioned the importance of international cooperation, reminding that this issue would be discussed at the meeting of EU and US Ministers of Justice, at Gödöllő on 14 April. While the actual minutes of the private meeting have not been released the Council of Europe has released the Opening Speech of the Deputy Secretary General which calls for a final vote on the censorship firewall by November 23rd. Hungarian EU Presidency – Ministerial Conference on Cybercrime “Co-operation between law enforcement agencies and between law enforcement agencies and the non-governmental sector” * * * Opening remarks by Ms Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, It is my inner conviction that new technology alone does not equal progress. Real progress lies in our ability to put technology at the service of our values and for the benefit of all citizens. The best invention can have a very dark side. The more we depend on new technology’s benefits, the bigger the need to control the risks of falling in its black hole. Internet and computer-based communication have created a new e-cology and I refer to the term ecology in its literal sense – meaning the relationship between living and non-living organisms. A planet-wide “e-cology” composed of millions of human beings and data interacting in an ever changing environment. It is indeed fascinating to observe how people have taken ownership of this wonderful and fruitful environment. But we should also acknowledge that this is more fragile than we often think or we are ready to admit. What can we, decision makers, do? Two possibilities: First, we can simply sit and wait for some hidden force governing this new “e-cology” to achieve a self-balance that will miraculously satisfy all our needs and expectations. Second, we can work together to make sure that our common values govern our on-line environment, so that it becomes a space with a maximum of freedom and that measures taken to preserve it represent a minimum of restrictions. I actually think we don’t have a real choice here. This is why the Council of Europe has been working over the past fifteen years to promote human rights, democracy and rule of law also on-line. New technologies bring new opportunities, new challenges and responsibilities. Fighting cybercrime is a global challenge and our shared responsibility. I therefore wish to thank the Hungarian EU Presidency for organising this Ministerial Conference on cybercrime and for giving me this opportunity to make a call “in Budapest – for Budapest”. The Council of Europe Budapest Convention is indeed the best tool we have to fight cybercrime worldwide. You will not be surprised that I use this tribune to call for its ratification and implementation. The fight against cybercrime is a topic that is high on the agenda of both the Council of Europe and the European Union, an area in which we are co-operating very closely. Both the EU Stockholm Programme and the Internal Security Strategy underline the need for strong action against cybercrime. Their implementation provides for ample opportunities for our two organisations to join hands. The Stockholm Programme calls on EU Member States to ratify the Budapest Convention “as soon as possible”, and it identifies our common goal to make this Convention “the legal framework of reference for fighting cybercrime at global level”. Here I have a proposal to make – why not aim for ratification by all EU member states by 23 November this year– the actual date of the tenth anniversary of the Convention? Cybercrime is a transnational threat and while we need to act first at home in Europe, we also need to think and act globally. The European Union and the Council of Europe have started to discuss the possibility of launching a joint programme to support measures against cybercrime at the global level and on the basis of the Budapest Convention. The objective of the session this morning is to promote inter agency co-operation between law enforcement authorities and between law enforcement and the private or non-governmental sector. Allow me to make a few important points in this respect. One: Co-operation between law enforcement authorities and Internet service providers is essential to make the Internet secure while at the same time protecting the rights of Internet users. In 2008 the Council of Europe developed guidelines for the cooperation between law enforcement and Internet service providers in the investigation of cybercrime. The European Union took this up and developed further measures on this basis. This is an excellent example of the type of dynamics that both organisations can generate through their co-operation. Two: Inter agency and public-private cooperation in the investigation and confiscation of crime proceeds on the Internet needs to be reinforced. We all agree that one of the most effective tools against serious and organised criminals is depriving them of their proceeds. It is necessary that high-tech crime units, financial intelligence units and financial investigators strengthen their cooperation not only with each other, but also with the financial sector and the Internet industry. The Council of Europe is currently preparing a study to analyse criminal money flows on the internet and to document good practices regarding counter-measures. This should also be an area for further cooperation between the EU and the Council of Europe. Three: The protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse requires the strongest and broadest possible public-private cooperation. Such cooperation should range from preventive, educational and awareness measures, to taking down and removing illegal contents, the setting up of hotlines to report offences, the identification of victims and the investigation and prosecution of offenders. While both the European Union and the Council of Europe have been very active in this field, there is certainly scope to further enhance the cooperation between both organisations in order to protect and empower children to allow them to use new technologies in a secure manner. And finally, security, but also the protection of the freedom of expression and other fundamental rights, including the protection of personal data, is not only an obligation for law enforcement authorities but also for private sector entities. All stakeholders need to cooperate with each other to promote human rights and rule of law principles. An important prerequisite is that the investigative powers of law enforcement are clearly defined by law and that safeguards and conditions for the use of such powers are established. This is provided for in the Budapest Convention and confirms once more the need for full implementation of this treaty. These and other points will certainly be discussed in the session this morning and I am confident that your exchanges will achieve important results. Ladies and Gentlemen, It may be too naive to believe we can turn internet into a kind of perfect paradise. Even more naive is to think that internet can govern itself or that countries, citizens or private companies can address all the challenges individually. Progress means moving forward. Let’s do it together and make sure that we move in the right direction. Thank You! Source: Council Of Europe This is one more attack on free speech and the fact that the US is participating in these discussions while running so many propaganda pieces against China’s firewall is appalling to say the least
Posted by Alexander Higgins - April 29, 2011 at 4:47 am - Permalink - Source via Alexander Higgins Blog
US And EU Nations In Secret Talks To Implement “Great Firewall Of Europe” To Censor Internet Just Like China
The Presidency of the LEWP presented its intention to propose concrete measures towards creating a single secure European cyberspace with a certain “virtual Schengen border” and “virtual access points” whereby the Internet Service Providers (ISP) would block illicit contents on the basis of the EU “black-list”. Delegations were also informed that a conference on cyber-crime would be held in Budapest on 12-13 April 2011.Cybercrime: rapid reaction needed
(Budapest 12-13 April 2011)Morning Plenary for Ministers, Session 1 (13 April 2011)
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Article date: 2011, April 14 – 2:33pm Last modified date: 2011, April 14 – 3:42pm
Representatives of EU Member States and the United States discussed the combat against cybercrime and the amendment of related cooperation, at a ministerial meeting on 13 April in Budapest. In his speech, Minister of Internal Affairs, Sándor Pintér, emphasised the necessity of a coordinated and rapid reaction to cybercrimes.
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