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Jeroen van Beek, a computer researcher at the University of Amsterdam, has shown in some tests conducted for The Times that the new micro-chipped passports, introduced in UK to protect against terrorism and organised crime, can be easily cloned.

The researcher has succeeded in cloning the chips of two British passports in which he introduced the pictures of Osama bin Laden and a suicide bomber and in passing the cloned chips as genuine through Golden Reader, which is the standard passport reader software used by the UN agency setting standards for e-passports and which is also recommended for use at airports. The cloning operation took less than an hour.

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Starting this summer, the UK Border Agency will use facial recognition technology at automated unmanned gates. A machine would accept or reject the match between the scan and the computer information on people with biometric passports.

The pilot project will be open to UK and EU citizens holding new biometric passports. "We think a machine can do a better job (than manned passport inspections). What will the public reaction be? Will they use it? We need to test and see how people react and how they deal with rejection. We hope to get the trial up and running by the summer" said Gary Murphy, head of operational design and development for the UK Border Agency, during a biometrics-related conference that took place in London in April 2008.

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On 20 November 2007, the Members of the European Parliament (EP) approved a report that asks for the revision of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in order to allow the compulsory licensing of patented environmental technologies.

The European Parliament considers developing countries should be able to have free access to the technologies developed to target the environmental issues such as climate change. This action comes also as a result of the environmental activists' criticism of the EU Global Paper stating the intention to ask for a high level of Intellecutual Property (IP) standards on European markets. According to environmental activists, such a policy

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With its seventh meeting held on 26-27 March 2007 in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe Group of Specialists on Human Rights in the Information Society (CoE MC-S-IS) is pursuing its mandate for another two-years period, as affirmed in its revised terms of reference. There are little changes in the group composition among voting members (member states of the CoE). EDRI remains a non governmental observer to the MC-S-IS group. For 2007, the group elected as chairman Thomas Schneider (Swiss federal office of communications), who, inter alia, has been active in the Swiss delegation to WSIS and then to IGF, and as vice-chairman Michael Truppe, from the Austrian Federal Chancellery.

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United Kingdom has today the largest DNA database in the world, with over 3,5 million DNA samples. These days the Nuffield Council on Bioethics announced starting a public consultation about the new legislation regarding the storage of the DNA samples.

The DNA database was initiated in 1996 with little public consultation and since 2003 anyone arrested by the police had their DNA taken, for crimes going from murder to drink driving. Their DNA samples have been kept even though they have never been officially charged. A Home office report has shown that over 139 000 people, including 24 000 children, are in this situation.

The report also shows that 5,24 % of the UK population has a profile in the

The US based digital rights organisation EFF has started extensive research into the hidden codes some laser colour printers and photo copiers add to every page they print or copy. In 2004 printer-manufacturer Canon was awarded a Big Brother Award in Germany for secretly adding a unique code to every print-out. Soon after, it turned out the practice is very wide-spread.

The unique number on every print-out is invisible to the bare eye, measuring only 0,1 millimetre. After the Big Brother Award for Canon, the Dutch police immediately admitted they use the codes to detect the sources of print-outs, tracing individual printers through the vendor chain. Questioned by the Lower House, the Dutch minister of Economical Affairs said he agreed manufacturers should inform their customers, but did not

European Digital Rights has opened a new open mailinglist on e-voting. Anybody interested in contributing knowledge on this matter is kindly invited to subscribe and share information with experts from all over Europe. The discussion is focussed on developments in Europe, and can be both political as well as technical.

Subscribe to the EDRI-voting mailinglist
http://mailman.edri.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/edri-voting

The US has signalled that it will modify its biometric passport requirements for travellers from Visa Waiver countries. EU countries have been struggling to meet an October 2005 deadline set by the US to introduce new passports with biometric identifiers.

The 2002 US Border Security Act demands from 27 countries the inclusion of chips with facial images in their passports, in order to continue participation in the US Visa Waiver programme. A deadline was set for 26 October 2004 after which citizens from most EU countries would either have to present a biometric passport or a visa to enter the US. In June 2004 the US House of Representatives agreed to a one-year extension until 26 October 2005.

But most EU countries will not be able to introduce passports with contactless chips by that time. Travellers from those countries would have to apply for visa if the US maintains its demands. This would result in a chilling effect on US tourism and commerce while overstressing the US consular system with visa applications. Governments on both sides of the ocean have been looking for an acceptable solution.

On 20 April 2005 the civil liberties group Statewatch, together with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and two other NGOs launched the Campaign Against Mass Surveillance (ICAMS), calling on all national governments and intergovernmental organisations to turn away from antiterrorism efforts that are oriented around mass surveillance.

The campaign started with an in-depth report on 'The emergence of a global infrastructure for registration and surveillance'. "Driven largely by the United States, a growing web of anti-terrorism and security measures are being adopted by nations around the world. This new 'security' paradigm is being used to roll back freedom and increase police powers in order to exercise increasing control over individuals and populations." The report describes 10 signposts that clearly mark the general erosion of human rights. To some extent, all of the signposts have already been realised. To another extent, the report reads like a manual for an awesome uncle of Big Brother.

On 11 February the European Regulators Group (ERG) released a common statement against regulation of Voice over IP services. The statement from the 25 national regulatory authorities was welcomed by EU Commissioner Viviane Reding, responsible for Information Society and Media.

In a press release from the Commission she says: “I expect Voice over IP to lead to more diverse and innovative services in the market which may well have an even bigger impact on consumers and businesses than email. (...) I am convinced that, as the market develops, the European Commission and national regulators will jointly ensure that throughout the EU, the roll-out of new IP-based services will not be hindered by regulatory hurdles."

In June 2004 the Commission organised a consultation on VOIP. The main concern from the industry centres around the obligations of PATS, publicly available telephone services. Among the 86 public responses is a paper from ETNO (European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association), the powerful European lobbying group from the incumbent telephony operators. They hesitantly reject general telephony demands on Voice over IP services such as guaranteed access to emergency services, number portability and provision of location information, but on the other hand see a market advantage if a national regulatory authority would provide, "on request, a standardised declaration to those suppliers that undertake to provide publicly available telephone services in accordance with the applicable conditions in the general authorisation." ETNO also sees an advantage in a separate number plan: "when VoIP services are offered as a nation-wide nomadic service, a dedicated number range may be appropriate." The many footnotes in the document show how divided the operators are amongst themselves. Some companies such as the Dutch KPN clearly try to preserve their market position in the telephony world by claiming for extra regulation, while other companies such as Telekom Austria and British Telecom seem to favour a more practical approach towards internet telephony.