


		Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release Biometrics, Surveillance, National ID Threats to Privacy Electronic Frontier Foundation Releases Reports For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 13, 2002 San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today released a series of reports on the shortcomings of large-scale civilian biometrics systems, the invasive nature of public surveillance, and the inherent dangers of a national identification system. After September 11, the U.S. government enacted sweeping legislation that diminished privacy rights in the name of domestic security. In response to bills like the USA Patriot Act, the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, and the proposed Driver's License Modernization Act, EFF is providing the public with factual data on these laws and the technologies they employ. "High-tech systems are not a quick fix for terrorism," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Lee Tien. "For the most part, these technologies are dangerously unreliable, and even the best of them are highly invasive." "Governments justify overreaching surveillance on vulnerable targets such as aliens and dissenters, then inevitably try to extend its use to the rest of society," Tien added. The EFF "Biometrics," "National ID System," and "Surveillance Monitor" documents describe in detail the technologies being deployed by the U.S. and other governments in an effort to tighten security. The reports provide an overview of the technologies and a comprehensive analysis of the privacy concerns they raise. EFF also recently released an updated version of "EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy," a detailed account of the best methods of maintaining one's privacy on the Internet, including use of encryption and cookie management software. Links: For this release: http://www.eff.org/Privacy/20020613_eff_privacy_pr.html EFF's Privacy Now Campaign: http://www.eff.org/privnow/ EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy: http://www.eff.org/Privacy/eff_privacy_top_12.html Biometrics page: http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/biometrics.html National ID page: http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/nationalidsystem.html Surveillance Monitor page: http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/surveillancemonitor.html Contact: Lee Tien Senior Staff Attorney Electronic Frontier Foundation tien@eff.org +1 415 436-9333 x102 (office), +1 510 290-7131 (cell) About EFF: The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil liberties organization working to protect rights in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges industry and government to support free expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported organization and maintains one of the most-linked-to websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/


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