[IMC-bristol] more" law"...............

ivan ivan at dodosegg.org
Wed, 5 Mar 2003 23:46:54 -0000
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=20
March 5, 2003

Europe Hacker Laws Could Make Protest a Crime

By PAUL MELLER


RUSSELS, March 4 - The justice ministers of the European Union have =
agreed on laws intended to deter computer hacking and the spreading of =
computer viruses. But legal experts say the new measures could pose =
problems because the language could also outlaw people who organize =
protests online, as happened recently, en masse, with protests against a =
war in Iraq.=20

The agreement, reached last week, obliges all 15 member states to adopt =
a new criminal offense: illegal access to, and illegal interference with =
an information system. It calls on national courts to impose jail terms =
of at least two years in serious cases.=20

Critics from the legal profession say the agreement makes no legal =
distinction between an online protester and terrorists, hackers and =
spreaders of computer viruses that the new laws are intended to trap.=20

Last Wednesday, protesters against a possible war against Iraq barraged =
the White House and Senate offices with tens of thousands of messages by =
phone, fax and e-mail, as part of what was billed as the first-ever =
"virtual protest march."=20

Under the new agreement, if European Union citizens undertook a similar =
electronic bombardment of the e-mail, fax and phone lines of the British =
prime minister, Tony Blair, they might be liable for prosecution, said =
Leon de Costa, chief executive of Judicium, a legal consultancy based in =
London. The new code "criminalizes behavior which, until now, has been =
seen as lawful civil disobedience," Mr. de Costa said.=20

Ulrich Sieber, a professor of law at Munich University, urged lawmakers =
to amend the code to add a specific reference to the right to free =
expression as outlined in the European Union's Charter of Fundamental =
Human Rights.=20

Marco Cappato, a European Parliament deputy from Italy, said he failed =
to persuade the ministers to insert wording that differentiates between =
the online equivalent of trespassing and someone breaking and entering. =
The role of the European Parliament is consultative, so it cannot force =
changes to the law.=20

A European Union diplomat involved in the drafting of the measures =
agreed that protection mechanisms in the code are soft and said that =
amendments could still be made.


Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company=20








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src=3D"mhtml:mid://00000018/!http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/misc/log=
oprinter.gif"=20
width=3D199 border=3D0><FONT face=3DArial> <BR>March 5, 2003</FONT><FONT =

size=3D5><BR><BR><B><FONT face=3DArial>Europe Hacker Laws Could Make =
Protest a=20
Crime<BR><BR></FONT></FONT><FONT lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: =
#ffffff"=20
face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF">By PAUL =
MELLER</FONT><FONT=20
lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" color=3D#000000 size=3D3=20
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF"></B><BR><BR><BR><FONT face=3DArial><IMG height=3D32 =

src=3D"mhtml:mid://00000018/!http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/=
b.gif"=20
width=3D30 border=3D0>RUSSELS, March 4 =97 The justice ministers of the =
European Union=20
have agreed on laws intended to deter computer hacking and the spreading =
of=20
computer viruses. But legal experts say the new measures could pose =
problems=20
because the language could also outlaw people who organize protests =
online, as=20
happened recently, en masse, with protests against a war in Iraq. =
<BR><BR>The=20
agreement, reached last week, obliges all 15 member states to adopt a =
new=20
criminal offense: illegal access to, and illegal interference with an=20
information system. It calls on national courts to impose jail terms of =
at least=20
two years in serious cases. <BR><BR>Critics from the legal profession =
say the=20
agreement makes no legal distinction between an online protester and =
terrorists,=20
hackers and spreaders of computer viruses that the new laws are intended =
to=20
trap. <BR><BR>Last Wednesday, protesters against a possible war against =
Iraq=20
barraged the White House and Senate offices with tens of thousands of =
messages=20
by phone, fax and e-mail, as part of what was billed as the first-ever =
"virtual=20
protest march." <BR><BR>Under the new agreement, if European Union =
citizens=20
undertook a similar electronic bombardment of the e-mail, fax and phone =
lines of=20
the British prime minister, Tony Blair, they might be liable for =
prosecution,=20
said Leon de Costa, chief executive of Judicium, a legal consultancy =
based in=20
London. The new code "criminalizes behavior which, until now, has been =
seen as=20
lawful civil disobedience," Mr. de Costa said. <BR><BR>Ulrich Sieber, a=20
professor of law at Munich University, urged lawmakers to amend the code =
to add=20
a specific reference to the right to free expression as outlined in the =
European=20
Union's Charter of Fundamental Human Rights. <BR><BR>Marco Cappato, a =
European=20
Parliament deputy from Italy, said he failed to persuade the ministers =
to insert=20
wording that differentiates between the online equivalent of trespassing =
and=20
someone breaking and entering. The role of the European Parliament is=20
consultative, so it cannot force changes to the law. <BR><BR>A European =
Union=20
diplomat involved in the drafting of the measures agreed that protection =

mechanisms in the code are soft and said that amendments could still be=20
made.<BR><BR></FONT>
<P align=3Dcenter></FONT><FONT lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: =
#ffffff"=20
color=3D#000066 size=3D1 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF"><A=20
href=3D"http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html"><FON=
T=20
face=3DArial>Copyright 2003</FONT></A><FONT face=3DArial> </FONT><A=20
href=3D"http://www.nytco.com/"><FONT face=3DArial>The New York Times=20
Company</FONT></A></FONT><FONT lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: =
#ffffff"=20
face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF"> </FONT><FONT =
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