WikiLeaks: “American govt involved in drafting of Data Retention law in Sweden”

Swedish journalist Rick Falkvinge draws our attention to the Stockholm 09-141 cable, a diplomatic email from the US Embassy in Sweden that is among the dozens of files on WikiLeaks. This particular ‘cable’ suggests that the United States was actively involved in the drafting of the IPRED legislation, and that it is currently a driving force behind the implementation of an EU Directive on data retention, which was presented by the Justice Minister last Thursday. Under this new legislation on data retention, Sweden will give authorities, like the police, at-will access to all and any collected records for the purpose of investigations.

At first glance, these provisions are not so surprising. The Swedish government has to implement the EU directive on data retention (2006/24) into national law, like all EU countries.

Fierce criticism on this policy isn’t new either. Article 4 of the EU directive says that national governments have to develop legislation thatset the conditions for data retention by government authorities. The idea of databases for personal data that can be transferred from one government agency to another has always been controversial, as fundamental human rights are at stake.

However, the discovery of documents that show American interference in the democratic process of law and policy making in Sweden is quite remarkable. US motives for doing this, while diplomatic relations with EU member states may be at stake, are unclear at this stage. Falkvinge believes the answers to our questions can be found in the WikiLeaks cables.

Source: Falkvinge.net