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              | Date: 2002-03-05 
 
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 q/depesche  02.3.5./2
 
 UK: Big Brother Awards 2002
 
 Hier sind die Ergebnisse der gestern abgehaltenen, vierten Big Brother
 Awards im UK, Bericht von Simon Davies.
 
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 Well, we held the UK BBAs last night. It was a successful event, in front of
 an audience of about 300 people. I think we created a more professional
 ceremony than in previous years, and the evening certainly generated a great
 amount of response from the people in the theatre.
 
 PRIVACY INTERNATIONAL
 
 THE 4th UK BIG BROTHER AWARDS
 
 This years Big Brother Awards have named Cabinet Secretary Sir Richard
 Wilson as Worst Public Servant for 2002. The decision of judges was
 announced tonight (Monday) at an award ceremony in the Hong Kong
 Theatre of the London School of Economics.
 
 The Big Brother awards were established in 1998 as a means of recognising
 both the villains and the heroes of privacy. They are hosted each year by the
 LSE, and are presented by Channel 4s Mark Thomas. The awards are
 organised by Privacy International, a human rights watchdog formed in 1990
 (see www.privacyinternational.org).
 
 Sir Richard received his award for his long standing commitment to opposing
 freedom of information, data protection and ministerial accountability. He
 narrowly beat David Blunkett and Michael Cashman MEP.
 
 Awards were also bestowed in the following categories:
 
 MOST INVASIVE ORGANISATION
 
 NORWICH UNION This award has been given following last years
 controversy over the use of unapproved genetic tests to assess eligibility for
 life insurance. Norwich has also won the award because of its Pay as you
 Drive  satellite vehicle tracking project. It came ahead of the other
 contenders The Countryside Alliance and the Internet Watch Foundation.
 
 MOST APPALLING PROJECT
 
 This goes to the National Criminal Intelligence Service for its plan to archive
 the communication data (phone, email and internet traffic data) of all UK
 citizens. The Integrated Transport Commission and the Electoral Reform
 Society were runners-up.
 
 MOST HEINOUS GOVERNMENT ORGANISATION
 
 This was scooped by the Department for Education and Skills for removing
 anonymity in the 2002 national schools census and for creating a student
 tracking system. Runners up were The Internet Watch Foundation and The
 Home Office.
 
 LIFETIME MENACE Although Michael Howard and Sir Richard Wilson were
 extremely strong contenders this year, but the award has gone to the
 National ID card concept. Judges stressed that they were most concerned
 about the potential of this ongoing proposal to allow the mass-matching of
 personal files throughout the government and private sector.
 
 Privacy Internationals Director, Simon Davies, said The judges have been
 appalled at the depths to which this years candidates have sunk.
 
 During the judging process, it has become clear that government agencies
 and companies have stooped to an all time low in the wilful violation of our
 privacy
 
 We have been almost overwhelmed this year by a flood of new entries, many
 of which involve technologies and techniques that are beyond the control of
 law, and outside the comprehension of policy makers
 
 On a far more promising note, the award ceremony honoured five individuals
 and organisations that had made an outstanding contribution to the
 protection of privacy and human rights. These Winston winners are:
 
 THE DAILY TELEGRAPHS FREE COUNTRY CAMPAIGN. The DT last
 year started a campaign against restrictions on personal liberties. Since then
  and despite September 11th  the paper has stuck by this position and
 modified its editorial stance on a wide range of issues from drug law reform
 and surveillance through to police powers and CCTV.
 
 MAURICE FRENKEL, Director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information,
 for his outstanding contribution over many years to the establishment of FOI
 legislation in Britain.
 
 DAVID SHAYLER for services at great personal cost to opening up the
 secret state and for his role in challenging the fairness and legality of the
 Official Secrets Act.
 
 ILKA SCHRODER, a German Greens MEP who has consistently fought to
 defend citizens against state intrusion. She has been a key figure in the
 European Parliaments investigation into the Echelon spying system run by
 the American National Security Agency.
 
 THE LORD PHILLIPS OF SUDBURY (Andrew Phillips) has works tirelessly
 for many years on initiatives to build civil society and to promote and defend
 the integrity of the judicial system. Last year he was instrumental in forcing
 reforms to the governments anti-terrorism legislation.
 
 
 JUDGES OF THE 2002 AWARDS
 
 Karen Banks, Co-ordinator, GreenNet
 
 Caspar Bowden, Director, Foundation for Information Policy Research
 
 Dr Ian Brown, University College London
 
 Tony Bunyan, Editor, Statewatch, London
 
 Duncan Campbell, Freelance film and television producer,
 
 Simon Davies, Director, Privacy International
 
 Dr Fleur Fisher, Ethics and healthcare consultant, London
 
 Wendy Grossman, Author Net.Wars
 
 Gus Hosein, London School of Economics
 
 Malcolm Hutty, Internet Vision
 
 Dr Stephen Saxby, Law School, University of Southampton
 
 Dr Edgar Whitley, London School of Economics
 
 Dr Steve Wright, Director, Omega Foundation
 
 Heres the press release and some links to press stories. Id be really
 grateful if someone could put this on the BBA international site. When Dave
 Banisar is near a computer hell put it onto the PI site.
 
 Ill write shortly with some reflections on the evening
 
 Simon
 
 BBC coverage
 
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1854000/1854367.stm
 
 Daily Telegraph article
 
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/03/05/nfree05.x
 ml&sSheet=/news/2002/03/05/ixhome.html
 
 Daily Telegraph editorial
 
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;$sessionid$NVYQ2WYAAE0H
 VQFIQMFSFFWAVCBQ0IV0?xml=%2Fopinion%2F2002%2F03%2F05%2Fdl
 0503.xml
 
 ZD Net
 
 http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t277-s2104936,00.html
 
 The Register
 
 http://theregister.co.uk/content/6/24187.html
 
 
 
 NOTES FOR EDITORS
 
 The Big Brother Awards are now in their fourth year, and have been
 established in the UK, the US, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary,
 France, Denmark and the Netherlands. Further information can be found at
 www.bigbrotherawards.org and on the PI website at
 http://www.privacyinternational.org/bigbrother/
 
 The initiator of the awards, Privacy International, was founded in 1990, and
 campaigns on a wide range of privacy issues across the world.
 
 The 4th UK awards took place in the Hong Kong Theatre of the London
 School of Economics (ground floor, 97-99 The Aldwych) on Monday March
 4th at 7pm.
 
 
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 edited by Harkank
 published on: 2002-03-05
 comments to office@quintessenz.at
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