The Multiracial Activist Newsletter
Special Alert 18 – September 30, 2004

The Multiracial Activist Newsletter is an informational digest of news, events, new websites and other information of interest to the biracial/multiracial individuals, interracial couples/families and the transracial adoptee community. Published irregularly, with special alerts as news items warrant. The Multiracial Activist Newsletter is registered with the Library of Congress, Washington, DC – ISSN: 1522-6905. Past newsletters and alerts are archived at https://www.multiracial.com/newsletter.html.

Special Alert 18
September 30, 2004
Editor, James A. Landrith, Jr.
https://www.multiracial.com/
email: editor@multiracial.com

WASHINGTON, DC — A coalition of organizations, The Multiracial Activist included, have issued a press release <https://www.multiracial.com/news/pr20040930.pdf> in opposition to the EU’s plans to require full-blown retention of all telecommunications and internet traffic for their customers for up to 3 year periods. An excerpt:

“If the demands of Great Britain, Ireland, Spain and France are transformed into law, any telecommunication company and internet (service) provider in the EU shall be obliged to store the traffic data of their customers for between 12 and 36 months. This would refer to all telecommunication and internet usage. So far it is only allowed to keep those data for up to six months after the invoice has been sent to the customer. An exemption is granted when there are lawful reasons regarding a suspected crime. If the new law is being introduced, 450 millions of telecommunication customers in the EU will have their traffic data stored for at least 12 months. The reason for this step? It can not be precluded that phone, SMS, MMS, e-mail or the internet is used for a crime.”

This proposal would require European internet and telecommunications companies to retain any electronic communications, emails, instant messenger conversations, etc. for access by EU officials. Apart from the incredible economic strain this would cause, is the privacy issue. Americans should also be aware that the Department of Justice was pushing this proposal as means of getting around U.S. laws prohibiting domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens.

Any communications made from American computers and received by European computers would now be accessible by the Department of Justice via a loophole in international law. This means that your innocent instant messenger conversations, newsgroup postings, emails, etc. to European friends and relations would no longer be protected from government scrutiny. For those of you from the “multiracial” community, ponder this: your private online discussions on “race,” your “interracial” family and “multiracial” identity will be stored for years at the reach of whoever lays legal claim to access same.

One of the signatories, Statewatch, has broken down the proposal’s problem areas here: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/apr/21dataretention.htm

Access the full press release here: https://www.multiracial.com/news/pr20040930.pdf (pdf)

Our coalition previously commented on this proposal on May 22, 2002 and November 12, 2001. Those letters are available here:

https://www.multiracial.com/letters/2002-05-22.html

https://www.multiracial.com/letters/2001-11-12.html

Yours in Struggle,

James A. Landrith, Jr.
Editor & Publisher
The Multiracial Activist
https://www.multiracial.com

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