Cóir Date: 20.06.2010

Statewatch, the NGO watchdog which concerns itself with safeguarding civil liberties, recently issued a report about an EU scheme designed to give government bodies access to telephone, mobile and internet data on people who voice or share "radical" political opinions. Euphemistically known as the EU's "data compilation instrument," this EU scheme seeks to force Europe's telephone, mobile and internet operators to store their customers' private conversations or correspondence for up to two years.

In its report, Statewatch said: "The ‘instrument’ is not primarily about people or groups intending to commit terrorist acts. But rather directed at people and groups who hold radical views described as those propagating 'RM' (radical messages)." And, such designated activists can be put under surveillance.

The Statewatch report goes on to ask and answer a key question: "Who is going to be using this 'instrument' placing a very wide spectrum of people and groups under surveillance? EU police forces, security and intelligence agencies plus ‘EU institutions and agencies.'"

Cóir spokesman, Brian T Hickey had this to say: "This is a very sinister development, indeed. What are 'radical views' and who exactly is going to determine how 'radical' is to be defined? For all of their liberal bona fides, the EU is a most illiberal organisation. And, heretofore, they have also been most intolerant to criticism of some of their glaring errors, even forcing resignation from some whistle-blowers who had the temerity to question the organisation's honesty."

He went on to add: "If the EU cannot accept criticism from those who work for it - presumably, friends at one point - then how can it logically accept criticism from those who have opposed 'ever-closer union' over the years? If one puts down in an email that he had voted against a European Treaty in the past, will he be visited by the Special Branch? If one says that she believes the EU is an emerging threat to civil liberties, will she be watched? If one is pro-life, pro-family and pro-national sovereignty, will you hear a knock on the door? This is a thoroughly retro-grade step, to be expected only from the people who brought the secret police and spying-on-one's-neighbour to the former Soviet Bloc."