FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
13/04/2005
Privacy International Announces Project to Stop "Policy Laundering"
Governments Undermining Liberties at Home By Working Through Secretive
International Forums, Privacy International says
Wednesday, 13 April 2005
Privacy International, in concert with its partners the American Civil
Liberties Union and Statewatch, today announced the formation of a new
international "Policy Laundering Project".
This international project will monitor and influence the increasingly
common formation of civil liberties-sensitive security policies through
international organizations.
"Governments are increasingly pushing the illiberal policies through
international treaty organizations, then bringing them back home", says Dr.
Gus Hosein, Senior Fellow with Privacy International. "This is the strategy
we call policy laundering. The UK has recently laundered communications
surveillance policies through the European Union and ID cards through the
United Nations. The Government returns home to Parliament, holding their
hands up saying 'We are obliged to act because of International
obligations' and gets what they want with little debate."
"The UK is not alone. This is a common practice for the U.S. and across
Europe. The practice spreads also to anti-terrorism policies in Asia and
the Asian-Pacific. Governments are going global, and so must we."
"Behind closed doors, Governments are agreeing to harmonize their
surveillance laws and reduce safeguards. We are going to shed light on
these practices, and campaign against these practices, bringing pressure to
these international organisations and to national parliaments."
Numerous cases of policy laundering already exist, including
* The U.S. and the UK pushing for biometric passports at the UN-level
agency the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Now the UK is going
to start taking fingerprints from all Britons and establish an ID card,
with Prime Minister Tony Blair claiming that this is merely a response to
the demands of the U.S. and the UN. See
<http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd%5B347%5D=x-347-103018>PI's
letter to the ICAO, and the
<http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/pressAndInformationOffice/PDF/IDreport.pdf>LSE
ID Report monitoring the claims of the UK Government.
* The UK, Ireland, Sweden, and France are pushing communications
surveillance policies through the EU. This compels all telephone and
internet companies to keep records on all of our phone calls, emails, and
websites visited. The Justice minister of Ireland recently noted that he
was looking to the 'EU cavalry' to come to his aid in the face of
opposition within his own country to these policies. See
<http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd%5B347%5D=x-347-185519&als%5Btheme%5D=Policy%20Laundering%20Home%20Page>PI's
analysis of the Irish practice, and
<http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd%5B347%5D=x-347-71913>PI's
campaign against the EU on data retention.
* A number of treaties and agreements are increasing the flow of
information between Governments. There is now systematic transfer of
personal information between various Governments on all citizens,
passengers, and bank account holders, based on agreements established at
the European Union, the Council of Europe between the U.S. and a number of
countries, and the Financial Action Task Force.
<http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd%5B347%5D=x-347-185519&als%5Btheme%5D=Policy%20Laundering%20Home%20Page>See
PI's analysis of the 'negotiations' between the EU and the U.S. on the
surveillance of passengers.
There are many more cases and instances of policy laundering. For more
information, please see our
<http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd%5B347%5D=x-347-180777&als%5Btheme%5D=Policy%20Laundering%20Home%20Page>Primer
on Policy Laundering.
"Behind closed doors, Governments are agreeing to harmonize their
surveillance laws and reduce safeguards. We are going to shed light on
these practices, and campaign against these practices, bringing pressure to
these international organisations and to national parliaments."
PI said that the Policy Laundering Project will focus on building up the
capacity to monitor and influence international governmental organizations
(IGOs), building connections to civil society groups and government
officials in nations around the world, and keeping those officials and
groups informed about the ways in which their governments stand to be
affected by various policy laundering attempts.
The project is being launched on Wednesday, 13 April, at the annual
Computers, Freedom and Privacy conference in Seattle, Washington. USA.
Relevant websites:
* <http://www.policylaundering.org> and
* <http://www.privacyinternational.org/policylaundering>
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