PRIVACY INTERNATIONAL |
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During 1990, in response to a growing number of privacy threats, more than a hundred leading privacy experts and Human Rights organizations from forty countries linked arms to form a world organization for the protection of privacy. Members of the new body, including computer professionals, academics, lawyers, journalists, jurists and human rights activists, had a common interest in promoting an international understanding of the importance of privacy and data protection. Meetings of the group, which took the name Privacy International, were held throughout that year in North America, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific, and members agreed to work toward the establishment of effective privacy protection throughout the world.
The formation of Privacy International is the first successful attempt to establish a structured world focus on this crucial area of human rights. Privacy International is an independent, non-government organization with the primary role of advocacy and support.
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Judges Dr Ross Anderson - Computing Laboratory, University of Cambridge Caspar Bowden - Director, Foundation for Information Policy Research, London John Browning - European Editor, Wired magazine, London Tony Bunyan - Editor, Statewatch, London Duncan Campbell - Freelance film and television producer, Edinburgh Nick Cohen - Associate Editor, The Observer, London Dr Fleur Fisher - Ethics and healthcare consultant, London Maurice Frankel - Director, Campaign for Freedom of Information, London Wendy Grossman - Author Net.Wars, London William Heath - Chairman, Kable Ltd, London Dr Stephen Saxby - Law School, University of Southampton Steve Wright - Director, Omega Foundation, Manchester Gibby Zobel - Co-founder, SchNEWS, Brighton
Secretariat David Adams - University of Buckinghamshire Ian Brown - University College London Gus Hosein - London School of Economics Sheridan Hough - Freelance writer |
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In addition to these awards, the judges will announce a Lifetime Achievement award to a person or organisation that has made an extraordinary contribution to the destruction of privacy. Each category also includes a "special mention" for the most popular nomination.
Privacy International will also present awards -- Winstons -- to organisations and individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the protection of privacy. These will also be given to victims of privacy invasion. Nominations are also welcomed for this category.
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(the goodies)
SCHNEWS is a Brighton based weekly newsletter which for the past three years has done a great deal to raise awareness of privacy and surveillance issues, particularly those which the mainstream media refuse to touch. Its small team works on a voluntary basis, and the publication (which is free) is seen as one of the most influential civil liberties organs in Britain.
LINDIS PERCY has for many years fought to raise awareness of the activities of the US National Security Agency, particularly relating to Menwith Hill, the agency's key spy base, located in Yorkshire. She has been arrested more than 150 times, and has recently been jailed for her actions, despite being a quaker and a pacifist.
ALAN LODGE is a Nottingham photographer who has spent more than a decade raising awareness of front-line police surveillance activities, particularly the endemic practice of photographing demonstrators, activists and minority groups
ESTHER BULL is a 19 year old student who last year discovered that her landlord had placed a video camera behind a two way mirror in her bathroom. Esther had been filmed secretly for nearly two years, but the lack of a privacy law meant that the perpetrator could only be prosecuted under the "bad landlord" laws. She has helped form the "Operation Peeping Tom" campaign to encourage other victims to tell their story.
HARRY COHEN is a Labour MP who has consistently worked to strengthen data protection by introducing private members bills. He has frequently been a lone voice in Parliament on this issue.
(the baddies)
HARLEQUIN which has created the WatCall telephone traffic analysis system which allows police to analyse telephone records to create "friendship networks" which are then linked to existing police intelligence systems to automatically target people who are of interest. This activity takes place without the issue of any warrant.
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CORPORATE AWARDPROCUREMENT SERVICES INTERNATIONAL. One of the more malodorous UK organisations exporting surveillance equipment to such military regimes as Indonesia and Nigeria. Its equipment has been used to aid the genocide of the East Timor population. LOCAL GOVERNMENT AWARDNEWHAM COUNCIL for its Mandrake automatic face recognition system. The council has installed this software for the areas 140 cameras. It intends to automatically identify people "of interest" to authorities.
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THE DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY for its promotion of bad encryption policy, particularly the farcical white paper on Trusted Third Parties in 1997.
JACK STRAW For invasion of privacy above and beyond the call of duty. Justification includes the Police Act, treatment of asylum seekers, extention of police powers and information gathering practices, secret activities within the European K4 (Justice and Home Affairs) Committee, and and the development of "conflict management" strategies that allow police to store information on protesters, travellers or anybody else they believe may threaten public order.
MENWITH HILL SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE BASE (Yorkshire), the world largest spy station, built and operated by the US National Security Agency. Its ECHELON keyword recognition system, used to dragnet global communications, was last month debated by the European Parliament.
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Alan Lodge / Tash: ... tash@gn.apc.org