THERE is likely to be an increase in monitoring of telephone calls and emails by the security services in the near future as part of a Europe-wide initiative in the wake of last week’s London bombs.
Returning from a meeting of European Justice and Interior Ministers in Brussels, Justice Minister Doros Theodorou said a new measure, acting as a counter-terrorism tool, had been approved in which telecommunication companies could preserve records of all phone calls and emails for up to one year. Ministers had stated that given the proper warrants, this would enable police to detect emerging terrorist networks before they strike.
The Ministers also agreed to the harmonisation of police identification security features, the inclusion of biometric data on visas for visitors from third countries, the co-operation between antiterrorist teams from the member states, and the exchange of electronic data regarding the security of ports and airports.
The European Commission will also submit a proposal to control explosives within the EU, while pressure will be put on countries with favourable tax regulations to lift the confidentiality of bank accounts, and the directive on money laundering will be strengthened.
Other proposals concern electronic transactions, the freezing of property belonging to suspects related to terrorist acts, and the introduction of regulations providing for the better guarding and security of large infrastructure projects in the EU, such as power plants, nuclear plants, water supply businesses and any projects that could be a target of terrorist attacks.
Speaking to state radio, Theodorou said that he was in full backing for the moves, which are vital in the fight against terrorism.
“The fact that these recent terrorist attacks in London were in fact carried out by British nationals is a clear indication that terrorists don’t necessarily have to come from developing or third world nations. There are around 20 million to 40 million Muslims in Europe so in some cases we may have to look within our own backyard.”
The step comes as the British government considers introducing new legislation aimed at curbing incitement to violence by radical Islamic clerics. But many people consider the move a blow to civil liberties.
The European Commission Representative to Cyprus, Adriaan van der Meer, said measures were in place to regulate the use of phone taps and said a European Commission expert had recently visited the island specifically for that reason.
“There is an EU regulation on data protection which is being implemented in Cyprus.”
His comments were confirmed by a Commission source in Brussels, who explained that the island was well on the way to enforcing EU data protection laws.
“I believe that the Cyprus government is doing pretty well with regards to data protection while there is also a Data Protection Commissioner on the island. There are, however, various changes that will need to be made.”
So does this mean that just anybody can drop in and listen to private conversations? No, only if a suspect is being monitored by the police, explained the Commission source.
“Since the European Commission directive ruling of October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, there has been some monitoring of personal conversations within Europe but that is done by police officials.
“Nowadays most phone taps need court orders, but saying that every member state is allowed to have its own jurisdiction on phone tapping. However, they are obliged to respect the human rights of people. Phone tapping is a very specific topic.”
Although illegal or unauthorised telephone tapping is often a criminal offence, in certain countries such as Germany, courts will accept illegally recorded phone calls without the other party’s consent as evidence.
In the United States, federal agencies may be authorised to engage in wiretaps by the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a court with secret proceedings, in certain circumstances.
Under United States federal law and most state laws there is nothing illegal about one of the parties to a telephone call recording the conversation, or giving permission for calls to be recorded or permitting their telephone line to be tapped.
