Peers Steve

This author's articles

• Strengthening Security and Fundamental Freedoms on the Internet - an EU Policy on the Fight Against Cyber Crime

  13 February 2009
  This study examines the human rights aspects of the Internet, and looks in detail at the relevant criminal law rules of the Council of Europe and the EU. It also examines other aspects of the issue of cyber-crime, such as data protection rights, the EU’s Safer Internet programme, child pornography, attacks on information systems, terrorism, racism and xenophobia.

• Renforcement de la sécurité et des libertés fondamentales sur internet et politique de l’UE en matière de lutte contre la cybercriminalité

  13 février 2009
  La présente étude examine les aspects liés aux droits de l’homme sur Internet et étudie en détail les règles de droit pénal du Conseil de l’Europe et de l’UE pertinentes en la matière. Il passe également en revue d’autres aspects liés à la cybercriminalité, tels que les droits relatifs à la protection des données, le programme Safer Internet de l’UE, la pédopornographie, les attaques menées contre les systèmes d’information, le terrorisme, le racisme et la xénophobie.

• Proposed new EU border control systems

  21 July 2008
  The Commission’s proposal to establish an entry-exit system could play a useful role as regards detecting overstayers from states whose nationals are subject to a visa obligation, if implemented in conjunction with a registered traveller system. However, the Commission has not properly explained or calculated the costs of establishing such a system, and has not established the need for such a system as regards non-visa nationals.

• Biometrics and Visa Applications

  4 December 2006
  The proposed Regulation amending the Common Consular Instructions as regards the taking of biometric data needs to be amended to ensure that biometric obligations are only extended to categories of visa applicants on a country-by-country and case-by-case basis following adequate justification in light of the objectives of the Visa Information System (VIS). There also need to be provisions in this Regulation (or the VIS Regulation) protecting the rights of applicants who are not able to enrol biometric data and addressing the issues of misused identity and technological failure. The use of biometric data in the VIS to identify persons should be subject to strict controls. Finally, there need to be strengthened provisions concerning the liability and monitoring of private companies which assist the Member States’ authorities to process visa applications.

• The European Parliament and data retention: Chronicle of a ‘sell-out’ foretold?

  20 December 2005
  Written just prior to the European Parliament’s 14 December vote on the proposed Directive on data retention, this article sets out how the Council’s agreed text (which the EP voted on) differed from the Commission’s initial proposal and how the EP committee report differed from both those texts. Argues that «if the EP accepts the text as agreed in the Council ... it would amount to a ‘sell-out’ of its position - and the civil liberties of the EU public.»