NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Swiss Officials Order Citizens to Wear Masks in Public - Ban Tourists Posting Photos on Web
Swiss Officials Order Citizens to Wear Masks in Public
- Ban Tourists Posting Photos on Web
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000818.html
BERNE (ZAP) -- In a bold move to demonstrate that the Swiss government
is as serious about privacy for its citizens as it has historically
been regarding the protection of illicit foreign assets in Swiss bank
accounts, the head of the newly created Switzerland Federal Department
of Facial Anonymity, Nicolas J. Biellmann, today issued a preliminary
order requiring that all Swiss citizens wear "full head coverage"
masks at all times when outside their homes or places of business
within the borders of Switzerland.
This groundbreaking move, being enthusiastically supported by radical
pro-privacy groups in Switzerland and around the world, comes on the
heels of previous Swiss orders that search giant Google must obscure
every single human face -- even if this must be done manually --
that appears in their "Street View" images, or else potentially
terminate Street View services for Switzerland
( http://j.mp/gj2V68 [Lauren's Blog] ).
"Upon due reflection," said Biellmann, "we realized that Google Street
View was only the tip of the iceberg. After all, Street View imagery
is usually only updated after months or even years. But there are
lots of other people out there taking photos of Swiss faces every
day -- whom we must protect our citizens against as well."
The "mask order" comes in conjunction with other new regulations
banning tourists in Switzerland from posting to the Internet any
photos of Swiss citizens, even taken in public places and gatherings.
Under this new law, any such photos that are subsequently posted to
the Web, will bring about swift action by Swiss authorities. This may
involve Web site shutdown orders, extradition of the tourist
photographers back to Switzerland if they have already left the
country, and in extreme cases the so-called Swiss "doomsday" option --
the remote and permanent shutdown of any and all cuckoo clocks
associated with the photos' perpetrators.
At a press conference in downtown Berne today, reporters were provided
with examples of the government-approved masks that would be required
under the new order [editors, see photo DS0393-A3 - http://j.mp/fUrVNf
(Lauren's Blog)]. Officials noted that approved masks would be
available in a wide range of styles, and would include characteristics
of popular Swiss folk heroes, characters from major films, and even a
wide range of cute animals.
In answer to a reporter's question, Biellmann explained that approved
masks would be constructed from special materials that are essentially
transparent to government real-time surveillance closed-circuit
television (CCTV) cameras. "We want to assure everyone that the
government will still be able to track your every move via our CCTV
systems. Our goal here is simply to make sure that firms like Google,
and individual tourists, are blocked from citizen photography. You
can be confident that law enforcement and other aspects of the
government will have full access to your actual faces at all times,
everywhere you go in public. Your ugliness will not be seen by anyone
else," said Biellmann.
After a brief comment period, the new masking and anti-tourist
photography regulations are expected to become law on April 1, 2011.
- - -
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
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Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com