[governance] January 28: Privacy Campaign Start

Tue Jan 27 11:27:18 EST 2009

(Apologize for cross posting)

Dear friends,

January 28 is International Privacy Day, the day that the first
international convention for privacy was announced. Many groups around the
world are celebrating this day.

Request your government to support the Council of Europe Privacy
Convention 108 and to adopt comprehensive privacy legislation based in
that standard.

We urge organizations around the world to begin similar campaigns in their
own countries.  Start your campaign on January 28, 2009 and continue until
we get support for the international privacy convention.

Join the coordination group of the international campaign, by sending a
message to thepublicvoice (at) datos-personales (dot) org or by 
subscribing directly through
http://mailman.thepublicvoice.org/listinfo.cgi/privacy-thepublicvoice.org

In the United States, the US Privacy Coalition (including EPIC) is
launching a campaign to urge the US government to support the Council of
Europe Privacy Convention.

Here is a quick summary of the Privacy Convention:

In order to secure for every individual, whatever his/her nationality or
residence, respect for his/her rights and fundamental freedoms, and in
particular his/her right to privacy, with regard to automatic processing
of personal data relating to him/her, the Council of Europe elaborated the
Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic
Processing of Personal Data which was opened for signature on 28 January
1981. To this day, it still remains the only binding international legal
instrument with a worldwide scope of application in this field, open to
any country, including countries, which are not members of the Council of
Europe.

Why is the Privacy Convention still important? As the Net Dialogue
Initiative explains:

In addition to being the first legally binding international instrument in
the area of data protection, this Convention has
With stood the test of time by being adaptive and fairly rigorous. Today
the principles of this agreement are being examined for their
applicability to the collection and processing of biometric data.

Should a non-European Country Support the Council of Europe Privacy
Convention?

Many countries around the world are discussing or have signed the Council
of Europe Convention on Cybercrime. The Cybercrime Convention expanded law
enforcement authority without oversight or accountability. It was opposed
by many human rights organizations and NGOs around the world. No one
should tell us now that we cannot ask our countries to support a good
Council of Europe convention!

Now [INSERT YOUR COUNTRY] has the opportunity to support a fundamental
human right and promote the international convention that helps to
safeguard privacy. This would be a powerful and timely action. We will
start on January 28, 2009 and continue until we get support for the
international privacy convention.

Join the coordination group of the international campaign, by sending a
message to thepublicvoice (at) datos-personales (dot) org or by 
subscribing directly through
http://mailman.thepublicvoice.org/listinfo.cgi/privacy-thepublicvoice.org

Lets start working, we have an important campaign!

Marc Rotenberg
Lillie Coney
Katitza Rodriguez

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SAMPLE RESOLUTION (For the United States Senate)
January 29, 2009

Expressing a need for the accession to the Council of Europe's
Convention 108 for the Protection of Individuals with regard to
Automatic Processing of Personal Data

Whereas privacy is a fundamental right, valued by all Americans;

Whereas the increase of automatic processing and sharing of data
continuously intensifies the need for more effective implementation and
execution of legal instruments;

Whereas data security breaches along with cases of identity theft continue
pose a substantial risk to American consumers and businesses;

Whereas the continued transfer of personal data across national
borders raising increasing concern about the adequacy of privacy protection?

Whereas the current sectoral approach of legislation in
the United States is insufficient for appropriate privacy and data
protection;

Whereas the domain of privacy and data protection is international and
requires an overarching framework in order to acknowledge and protect the
fundamental rights of citizens;

Whereas the Council of Europe Convention 108 for the Protection of
Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data is the
most fundamental international instrument in the field: Now, therefore, be
it

Resolved, That the Senate-

(1) Requests accession to the Council of Europe's Convention 108 for the
Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal
Data

Signed,

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<INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION>

<INCLUDE BELOW OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION>

BACKGROUND

COE Privacy Convention - Text
http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/108.htm

COE Privacy Convention - Background
http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/legal_co-operation/data_protection/background/11Background.asp

COE Privacy Convention - Ratifications
http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ChercheSig.asp?NT=108&CM=8&DF=7/29/04&CL=ENG

International Privacy Day Campaign (with activities)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=54024777428&ref=nf

Privacy International
http://www.privacyinternational.org/

The Public Voice
http://www.thepublicvoice.org

EPIC Statement on Cybercrime Convention (July 26, 2005)
http://epic.org/privacy/intl/senateletter-072605.pdf

Net Dialogue, INITIATIVE: COE's Convention for the Protection of
Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data
http://www.netdialogue.org/initiatives/coeautoprocess/

Privacy and Human Rights: An International
Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments
http://epic.org/phr06/

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