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Snoop bill opponents post Swedish spy IDs on net

Even Google condemns eavesdropping bill

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The chief of Sweden's defense intelligence agency admitted Thursday that about 20 of its staff members have had personal information about themselves posted on the internet as part of a mud-slinging campaign. According to Swedish blog Politikerbloggen the information included addresses, phone numbers and even credit card numbers.

On Wednesday, a far-reaching eavesdropping law granted Sweden's intelligence agency National Defence Radio Establishment the right to scan all international phone calls and emails in a move to combat terror plots.

Wednesday's vote has angered many in Sweden and abroad, including even former members of SÄPO (the Swedish FBI) and the Justice Department. Some experts insist that it is almost impossible to differentiate between domestic and international traffic.

Sweden's Pirate Party, which strongly defends bittorrent site The Pirate Bay, says it will take the country to the European Court of Human Rights because the law is a clear breach of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer believes the Swedish government is following the examples set by governments ranging from China to Saudi Arabia. Swedish telecom company TeliaSonera condemned the law as well, calling it the most far-reaching eavesdropping plan in Europe. ®

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Latest Comments
Anonymous Coward

Obviously employing the wrong people as spies

That's perhaps our only get out in this Brave New World, this is sort of ethical cracking.

Still illegal, but ethical, which is the worrying thing about the legal system nowadays when it is more about bad rules, than it is about being based on morality and what works well for a society as whole.

The current generation in power is the 60's generation, bunch of bloody hypocrites, just scared of new technology or looking to abuse it, rather than use it in an ethical manner, they just don't dig it man.

Sure you can sniff all the data - but a lot of it is going to end up encrypted, thereby making it easier for the terrorists from pixie land who already probably encrypt if they actually existed. In the end all that is achieved is the slowing down of the net, and the chance to snoop on some proxied poxy coming home for dinner stuff.

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Aweful Shock Top Secret Discovery ..... Sharing Intelligence Creates Beta IntelAIgents.

"Good thing that their identities have been put on the 'net- with a bit of searching I'm sure more personal information could be dug out and we could show them just how invasive this tech is!" .... By Adam Foxton Posted Friday 20th June 2008 11:23 GMT

Adam,

Even the Wisest of Fools can Ensure that Relevant Information is freely available and would so Ensure. Imagine what Sages can leave scattered about for Discovery. And should they Gather All their Combined Thoughts, what do you Imagine IT would dDeliver.

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@ Andy Bright

"what am I missing here?"

Locks up criminals under conditions that are known to drive them mad.

In Texas, solitary confinement with 24 hour a day lights on and no human contact, leading to babbling and smearing of feces.

Guess which state Bush is from?

"Home of the free". Yeah, sure, tell me another one.

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