The Web: Europe's cyber privacy declines

The European Union is no longer the online privacy sanctuary that it once was, as government officials there are enacting a new Internet monitoring law in the aftermath of last summer's London train bombings, experts tell United Press International's The Web.
The EU Parliament last week adopted a privacy directive -- promulgated by the United Kingdom in June -- by a 378 to 197 vote. The directive requires all Internet and telephone traffic to be monitored and stored for up to two years to prevent further terrorist acts on the continent. Civil libertarians here in the United States have previously cited Europe as a model for privacy when arguing against the USA Patriot Act and other domestic data search tools.


By Gene Koprowski