The Portsmouth Police Department doesn’t deny it placed a recording device in its records room – without proper notification – to eavesdrop on its clerks. It’s just that neither the police nor County Attorney Jim Reams believe any laws were broken. But the more we think about the official explanation for these improper recordings the…
Category: Surveillance
German politicians protest EU plan to share bank data
German politicians and government officials have reacted angrily to a plan by the European Commission to renew an agreement with the United States, which gives anti-terror officials’ the ability to scrutinize the banking activities of European citizens. The oversight occurs through the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Transactions or SWIFT, which handles millions of transactions…
Barwatch: Privacy ruling a risk to public safety
A ruling by B.C.’s privacy commissioner that an identity-scanning technology used by dozens of bars and clubs in the province violates privacy laws may put public safety in jeopardy, the chairman of Vancouver Barwatch said Friday. “Our fear is that his ruling has put Barwatch out of business, and that every gangster and every nutbar…
Pictures from public places not private
Internet accessibility of images amassed by governmental organizations, commercial entities and individuals is the basis of novel privacy violation claims. However, Internet distribution of images of both individuals and private places collected from public places remains lawful. […] Courts have found that individuals have a right to be protected from a third party’s intrusion upon…