Bloggers against data retention
Norwegian politicians and bloggers urge the Government to make a decision regarding the EU's Data Retention Directive.
The call, apparently initiated by Torstein Dahle (Rødt), says that “[p]rivacy is a fundemental value in a democracy” and calls for a decision from Norway's Governemnt, consisting of the left-wing parties Labour, Socialistic Left and Centre Party.
As my weblog primarily focuses on relaying interesting things happening in the Nordic countries to the rest of Europe, I'll translate how it continues:
Privacy not only means a right to be left alone by others, but also a right to have control over information about one-self, and especially information that is experienced as private. According to the European Convention on Human Rights article 8, privacy is regarded as a human right.
With a possible Norwegian implementation of the EU's data retention directive (directive 2006/24/EF), requiring telecommunications companies to store traffic data on the citizen's electronic communication (e-mail, SMS, telephone, internet) for up to two years, Norwegian's right to privacy will be grossly violated.
The data retention directive was adopted by the EU on 15 March 2006, but the Norwegian government has not officially decided whether the directive should be made Norwegian law or not. According the EEA agreement, Norway holds a reservation right.1 This right has never thus far been exercised. But then, we have never faced a directive representing this great a threat to democracy's fundemental values, as what the data retention directive does at present.
We demand that the Government let their opinion be known now, before the elections2, on whether they want to make the data retention directive Norwegian law or not. To not take a position, like this Government over the past three years, is synonymous to a silent, implied accept.
Of course, I sign the call.
Footnotes
- Norway is not a member of the European Union.
- There are national elections in September in Norway. The parliament is elected for four years. For the past four years, the Government has had over 50 % of the votes in the Storting, rendering the opposition without a say in most matters.
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