Open Season for Data Fishing on the Web: The Challenges of the US PRISM Programme for the EU

CEPS Policy Brief No. 293

10 Pages Posted: 18 Nov 2014

See all articles by Didier Bigo

Didier Bigo

Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) - International Relations

Gertjan Boulet

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

Caspar Bowden

Independent

Sergio Carrera

Centre for European Policy Studies

Elspeth Guild

Radboud University Nijmegen - Faculty of Law; Kingsley Napley - Department of Immigration; The British Institute of International and Comparative Law; London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE)

Nicholas Hernanz

Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

Paul De Hert

Free University of Brussels (VUB)- LSTS; Tilburg University - Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (TILT)

Julien Jeandesboz

Independent

Amandine Scherrer

The Open University - Centre for Conflict Studies, Liberty and Security (CCLS)

Date Written: June 18, 2013

Abstract

The revelation of the top-secret US intelligence-led PRISM Programme has triggered wide-ranging debates across Europe. Press reports have shed new light on the electronic surveillance ‘fishing expeditions’ of the US National Security Agency and the FBI into the world’s largest electronic communications companies. This Policy Brief by a team of legal specialists and political scientists addresses the main controversies raised by the PRISM affair and the policy challenges that it poses for the EU. Two main arguments are presented: First, the leaks over the PRISM programme have undermined the trust that EU citizens have in their governments and the European institutions to safeguard and protect their privacy; and second, the PRISM affair raises questions regarding the capacity of EU institutions to draw lessons from the past and to protect the data of its citizens and residents in the context of transatlantic relations. The Policy Brief puts forward a set of policy recommendations for the EU to follow and implement a robust data protection strategy in response to the affair.

Keywords: US, PRISM, EU, PRISM programme, US National Security Agency, electronic surveillance

Suggested Citation

Bigo, Didier and Boulet, Gertjan and Bowden, Caspar and Carrera, Sergio and Guild, Elspeth and Hernanz, Nicholas and De Hert, Paul and Jeandesboz, Julien and Scherrer, Amandine, Open Season for Data Fishing on the Web: The Challenges of the US PRISM Programme for the EU (June 18, 2013). CEPS Policy Brief No. 293, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2284092

Didier Bigo (Contact Author)

Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) - International Relations ( email )

27 rue Saint Guillaume
Paris
France

Gertjan Boulet

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) ( email )

Pleinlaan 2
http://www.vub.ac.be/
Brussels, 1050
Belgium

Caspar Bowden

Independent ( email )

Sergio Carrera

Centre for European Policy Studies ( email )

1 Place du Congres
B-1000 Brussels, 1000
Belgium
+32 2 229 39 26 (Phone)

Elspeth Guild

Radboud University Nijmegen - Faculty of Law ( email )

Postbus 9049
6500 KK Nijmegen
Netherlands
024-3611357 (Phone)
024-3611423 (Fax)

Kingsley Napley - Department of Immigration ( email )

Knight's Quarter
14 St. John's Lane
London EC1M 4AJ
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7814 1200 (Phone)
+44 (0)20 7490 2288 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.kingsleynapley.co.uk/our-people/the-partners/elspeth-guild.htm

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law ( email )

Charles Clore House
17 Russell Square
London WC1B 5JP
United Kingdom

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE)

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

Nicholas Hernanz

Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) ( email )

1 Place du Congres, 1000
Brussels, 1000
Belgium

Paul De Hert

Free University of Brussels (VUB)- LSTS ( email )

Pleinlaan 2
Brussels, Brabant 1050
Belgium

Tilburg University - Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (TILT) ( email )

P.O.Box 90153
Prof. Cobbenhagenlaan 221
Tilburg, 5037
Netherlands

Julien Jeandesboz

Independent

Amandine Scherrer

The Open University - Centre for Conflict Studies, Liberty and Security (CCLS) ( email )

United Kingdom

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