About Privacy International 07/12/2007

Privacy International (PI) is a human rights group formed in 1990 as a watchdog on surveillance and privacy invasions by governments and corporations. PI is based in London, England, and has an office in Washington, D.C. We have campaigned across the world to protect people against intrusion by governments and corporations that seek to erode this fragile right. We believe that privacy forms part of the bedrock of freedoms, and our goal has always been to use every means to preserve it. For more information please click here. To donate to PI please click here.

Top News

Wanted Poster! A call for the UK Prime Minister's fingerprints 06/04/2008

Privacy International and the UK's NO2ID have launched a campaign to show the dangers of the collection of fingerprints into central government databases. We are offering a reward for the first person to collect and submit the UK Prime Minister's and Home Secretary's fingerprints. See the graphic for more information.

Heathrow buries passenger fingerprinting scheme 26/03/2008
Following Privacy International's recent complaint to the Information Commissioner, the British Airports Authority has announced that it will suspend fingerprinting operations in Heathrow terminals.

How to deal with the Heathrow fingerprint system 23/03/2008
BAA, the operators of Heathrow, have decided to illegally fingerprint all domestic travellers. Privacy International has come up with a privacy 'travel guide' to advise you on how to deal with Heathrow's illegal actions. We advise you to photograph Heathrow personnel as they fingerprint you because they are in breach of law, and using glue to protect your fingerprints from illegal capture.

Privacy International complaint poised to shut down Heathrow passenger fingerprinting 22/03/2008
Privacy International's recent complaint to the UK Information Commissioner has threatened to bring a halt to an imminent plan to fingerprint all domestic and international passengers departing from Heathrow's Terminal 1 and Terminal 5, due to begin business on March 27th. The British media is reporting that in response to PI's complaint, the Information Commissioner has advised that passengers should only accept fingerprinting "under protest" until our complaint is resolved.

PI responds to Ontario Privacy Commissioner ruling on CCTV 03/03/2008
Privacy International is dismayed by a number of findings in the report by the Ontario Information & Privacy Commissioner into our complaint over the mass installation of surveillance cameras by TTC.

EU to announce fingerprinting for all visitors 12/02/2008
The European Commission is about to announce the compulsory fingerprinting of all visitors to the EU, both visa holders and non-visa holders, along with automated border checks of EU nationals through the analysis of fingerprints and facial scans.

Leading surveillance societies in the EU and the World 2007 28/12/2007

Privacy International's rankings of privacy protection around the world.

Background Information

About Online Advertising 19/03/2008
Online advertising may very well shape the future of the internet. Advertisers spend billions online because online ads can be targeted to match your interests far more accurately than with TV or a billboard. PI is offering this online library resource to connect concerned consumers with the key information from online advertising companies, as well as to provide some limited means of controlling how their personal information is processed.

Key PI Resources

Overview of Privacy 17/12/2007
Privacy is a fundamental human right. It underpins human dignity and other values such as freedom of association and freedom of speech. It has become one of the most important human rights of the modern age. Here we review this essential human right.

About Supporting PI 07/12/2007
Privacy International is the oldest international privacy group, campaigning for over 17 years on a variety of issues. We welcome and need your support.

News and Developments

Privacy International response to European Commission approval of the Google-Doubleclick merger 11/03/2008
Privacy International today expressed dismay and disbelief at the EC's unconditional approval of the Google-Doubleclick merger. PI's Director, Simon Davies, said "This single reprehensible action by the Commission represents this decade's greatest threat to online privacy. The EU will rue the day that it allowed a near monopoly market to be controlled by this company. Online privacy will now be a hostage to fortune, inevitably suffering death from a thousand cuts".

PI warns that breaches are leading to collapse of public trust in IT systems 20/01/2008
Privacy watchdog warns that data security failures may create imminent collapse of public trust in IT systems and commerce.

PI Comments on UK Tax Agency Data Breach 20/11/2007
PI warns of “imminent and unprecedented” criminal attacks following major data leak in the UK.

FOI Survey 2006 Available in Russian 01/08/2007
The Privacy International Global FOIA Survey 2006 is now available in Russian. Translation courtesy of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

PI Reports

A Race to the Bottom - Privacy Ranking of Internet Service Companies 09/06/2007
This report has been prepared by Privacy International following a six-month investigation into the privacy practices of key Internet based companies. AOL, Apple, Facebook, Hi5, Reunion.com, Windows Live Space, and Yahoo! are identified as companies with policies and techniques that pose substantial threats to privacy, while Google is outed as being 'hostile to privacy'.

PI Responds to the UK Home Office on attempts to 'modernise' policing powers 31/05/2007
The text of a submission from Privacy International to the UK Home Office's consultation on 'Modernising Police Powers', where they call for shops to set up temporary detaining facilities, the collection of DNA and fingerprints for littering by anyone over the age of ten, amongst others.

PI Commentary on Surveillance and Threats to Journalism (off-site) 03/05/2007
For World Press Freedom Day 2007, PI and the World Association of Newspapers have released a new commentary discussing the increasing use of surveillance by governments to undermine journalists' legal right to protect the identity of their sources. The article is available in English, French, Spanish, Germany and Russian.

PI Report on Freedom of Information, Secrets and Protection of Sources in OSCE (PDF) 02/05/2007
For World Press Freedom Day, PI has released a new report which reviews freedom of information, state secrets and protection of journalists sources laws in the 56 OSCE participating states and finds that while most OSCE countries have adopted freedom of information laws, there has been an increasing abuse of state secrets laws and illegal searches and wiretapping to limit journalists' and the public's right to know crucial information about the activities of their governments. A 400 page compendium of responses from questionnaires is also available.

PI Global Studies

New Global Survey on Protection of Journalists' Sources 08/11/2007
Privacy International has released a new global survey on protection of journalists' sources. Silencing Sources finds that over 100 nations have adopted laws but that the laws are being undermined in many countries by laws on national security, wiretapping and searches. Several important countries including the US, ireland and Canada have not adopted laws.

Leading surveillance societies in the EU and the World 2006 02/11/2006

Privacy International's rankings of privacy protection around the world.

Graphic from the Daily Telegraph, November 2, 2006. (click to enlarge)

Freedom of Information Around the World 2006 Report 20/09/2006
Privacy International released the 2006 Freedom of Information and Access to Government Records Around the World report on 20 September 2006. The survey reviews FOI and other access laws and their implementation in 70 countries. The survey is now available in English and Russian. A global map of FOI laws, regulations, and pending bills is also available.

Campaigns

PI Launches 'And Who are You?' campaign to protect individuals against fraud 11/01/2008
When companies and government departments contact you by phone they always require you to identify yourself. But how do you know who’s on the other end of the line? Is it really your mobile phone provider, or are you about to become a victim of a malicious identity attack? Privacy International launches a campaign to combat identity theft by calling on companies and government agencies to give consumers more control over their personal information.

Privacy International to pursue data breach legal action against UK government 24/11/2007
Following revelations that more than 25 million records have been lost by the UK Revenue & Customs, Privacy International has decided to pursue legal action against the government. This action will be taken directly on behalf of more than 300 complainants and indirectly on behalf of all those people affected by the unlawful disclosure from HMRC. PI’s current intention is to pursue a claim for a general (not statute-based) breach of a duty of care on the basis of negligence.

PI leads coalition of organisations against Japanese Government plans for fingerprinting at border 19/11/2007
Today, in a coalition with Japanese groups, Privacy International delivered a letter to the Japanese Minister of Justice to protest against the implementation of a fingerprinting system and face-scanning system at its borders. All visitors and many foreign residents to Japan will be fingerprinted under this plan. Our letter to the Minister is endorsed by 68 organisations from 30 countries.

PI Comments on Google-Doubleclick Merger to the European Commission 05/11/2007
PI wrote a letter to the head of the European Commission DG COMP calling on Commissioner Kroes to take the merger of these internet advertising giants to the next phase. We argue that the merger could have serious implications for privacy innovation in advertising. Our letter was endorsed by groups from across Europe.

PI Files complaint about expansion of CCTV on Toronto transit network 25/10/2007
Privacy International filed a complaint with the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner's Office regarding the plans to implement 12,000 cameras across Toronto's transportation network of buses, streetcars, and subways at a cost of $18 million. The Toronto Transit Commission has repeatedly argued that CCTVs act as a deterrent despite international criminological evidence proving otherwise.

PI files complaint about online DNA genealogical testing firm 22/10/2007
The leading online genealogical site Ancestry.com has embarked on a new service offering to test the DNA of its customers. This commercial service has been provided to assist genealogical tracing through familial lines. However there are a number of troubling questions that Privacy International believes must be resolved before people can have confidence in this new service. Until these questions have been satisfactorily answered, we believe the service presents a number of substantial dangers for customers.

PI Meets with Internet Companies 02/10/2007
Following from our internet privacy campaigns, Privacy International organised a meeting with leading online companies to discuss a range of privacy issues.

Human Rights Organizations Urge U.S. Secretary of Defense to Investigate Biometric Database of Iraqis 29/07/2007
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, EPIC, Privacy International, and Human Rights Watch warn that a new system of biometric identification contravenes international privacy standards and could lead to further reprisals and killings.

Privacy International calls Internet giants to meet on privacy (updated) 11/06/2007
Following the recent publication of its consultative privacy rankings, PI has called on the major Internet companies to meet with the organization. The meetings have been called to clarify a number of data handling practices and is seen by PI as the first step to achieving an accord that will provide customers with consistent and strengthened privacy protections, and to give companies a greater understanding of the key challenges.

Privacy International announces global privacy invaders 02/05/2007
In an event in Montreal, Canada, Privacy International ran the first International Big Brothers Awards ceremony. PI outed the most invasive companies, projects, officials, and governments. A special award for the 'Lifetime Menace' was also announced.