INDECT received another blow in the past weekend when joined forces of Pirate Parties and Anonymous took to the streets in several European countries.

The action, called “#OpINDECT”, took place in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Portugal, France and other countries in Europe and elsewhere. At least 32 Pirate Parties registered for the protest in Germany alone. While the day the protests were taking place (21 October 2012) was set in stone, the groups all over Europe came up with different creative approaches to inform the public about the dangers of INDECT.

The Pirate Party of Osnabrück (Lower Saxony, Germany) built a giant camera out of plastic and flower pots. One Pirate, dressed completely in black, wore the camera on his head and walked around the streets, pointing the camera at “suspicious” bystanders. Pirate Party member Katharina Nocun also found the camera to be a great speaker’s desk. Other pirates approached groups of bystanders engaged in certain activities – for example, standing in one place for too long – and informed them that their kind of behaviour would raise suspicion and that they might become a target of police forces should INDECT become enacted.

The camera drew the attention of many, especially children. The Pirates used the positive atmosphere to distribute flyers concerning INDECT and the Pirate Party, slowly beginning to campaign for the 2013 elections in Germany. In Berlin and Stuttgart (Germany), more than 300 participants for the protests were expected.

Other pirate parties, including the Pirate Party of Erfurt, organized full-scale protests or, like the Pirate Party of Frankfurt, organized information booths about INDECT.

If enacted, INDECT would potentially pose a gigantic risk to privacy of millions of Europeans; The presentation of the project shows that INDECT enable a comprehensive automated monitoring of urban areas. The system should monitor “suspicious behaviour” automatically, without human intervention  and react accordingly. What suspicious behaviour can always be redefined. Thus, the monitoring exercise with INDECT is an indirect compulsion to behavioral adaptation. In addition, with INDECT the presumption of innocence is undermined, as it is possible to intervene before a crime or offense intended.   This will enable European companies, that have developed surveillance and security equipment to expand and refine them using state funds .  (Source: Stopp Indect)

Further information: INDECT Daily / Full list of protests / Information about INDECT

Featured Image CC-BY Sarah Bade (@paperpetkitty)

About Jan Meyer

I’m a German Pirate and member of the Pirate Party of Germany since mid-2011. A former exchange student to the United States of America, I am fascinated by American and world politics and a strong supporter of civil rights in the 21st century, including privacy and freedom of information. I am currently a student studying public administration.

 

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INDECT received another blow in the past weekend when joined forces of Pirate Parties and Anonymous took to the streets in several European countries. The action, called “#OpINDECT”, took place…