Category: Policy

Dutch Data Retention Law Struck Down

Good news on privacy protection for once: after an 11 March 2015 ruling of the Court of The Hague in the Netherlands in the case of the Privacy First Foundation c.s. versus The Netherlands, the court decided to strike down the Dutch data retention law. The law required telecommunication providers and ISPs to store communication… Continue reading Dutch Data Retention Law Struck Down

Privacy in danger, but there’s light at end of the tunnel

Note: This article is also available in Portuguese, translated by Anders Bateva. Last week I read an article about the plan by the National Police of the Netherlands to connect all CCTV cameras to the national camera network which is operated by the police. The upper echelon of the Dutch police is currently secretly writing… Continue reading Privacy in danger, but there’s light at end of the tunnel

The Rising Trend of Criminalizing Hackers & Tinkerers

Note: This article is also available in Portuguese, translated by Anders Bateva. There seems to be a rising trend of criminalizing hackers & tinkerers. More and more, people who explore the limits of the equipment, hardware and software they own and use, whether they tinker with it, re-purpose it, or expand its functionalities, are met… Continue reading The Rising Trend of Criminalizing Hackers & Tinkerers

Security Measures against Terrorism: Costs v. Benefits

Note: This article is also available in Portuguese, translated by Anders Bateva. A few days ago, the Dutch Home Office Minister Ronald Plasterk said in a debate in parliament that he’s apparently OK with the American intelligence community, the NSA among others, to spy on the Netherlands. His reasoning is flawed from the get-go, and went… Continue reading Security Measures against Terrorism: Costs v. Benefits

At the Crossroads: Surveillance State or Freedom?

When I went to OHM2013 last week, it was great to see such increased political activism from the hackers and geeks at the festival. I truly believe we are currently at a very important crossroads: either let governments the world over get away with crimes against the people’s interests, with programs like PRISM, ECHELON, TEMPORA… Continue reading At the Crossroads: Surveillance State or Freedom?

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Snowden

Note: This article is also available in Portuguese, translated by Anders Bateva. 237 years ago, 56 traitors to their King and country signed a document which outlined a new philosophy, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights. That among these are Life, Liberty, and the… Continue reading Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Snowden

Dangers of the ‘nothing to hide, nothing to fear’ mentality

Note: This article is also available in Portuguese, translated by Anders Bateva. With regards to the whole PRISM program recently unveiled by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, I had a discussion with someone a few days ago who still held to the view that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear from… Continue reading Dangers of the ‘nothing to hide, nothing to fear’ mentality