BELGIAN INTERNET USERS UNDER SURVEILLANCE

[elektro80]

According to a press article published on 15 April 2004 in the Belgian
daily boulevard paper 'La Derniere Heure', the ministry of interior in
Belgium will test new telecom interception hardware and software on the
fiberlink used by ADSL broadband users in Belgium. The test will be done
by the CTIF (under the federal control of the ministry of interior) during
a non determined period (starting Sunday 25 April) on the fiberlink in
Brussels. The main purpose seems to test the viability of the technical
solution.

This kind of wiretapping is quite different from regular phone (or
internet) interception. Those wiretaps require identifying a specific
caller line or identity. The Belgian 'black box' will monitor all the
traffic transmitted on the fiberlink. If we take the analogy of
'classical' phone interception, it's like monitoring all the in/out phone
traffic of an entire city in the hope to find a specific call.

The 'black box' is a proprietary hardware and software solution called
'NiceTrack', manufactured in Israel by a company called NICE Systems. The
solution seems somewhat similar to the FBI Internet Monitoring system
called 'Carnivore'. Nor the ministry nor Belgacom (the national operator
for the ADSL link) wish to make any comment on the subject but the federal
police has made an official statement that the test regards only an
internal police line.

EDRI-member AEL (Association Electronic Libre) is organising a campaign in
order to inform internet users how to protect their privacy during the
next few weeks. They don't only promote the use of technical internet
tools but aim to increase awareness of general good practises to protect
online privacy. AEL also invited the Belgian Data Protection Authority to
make an official statement on the subject. The 'Ligue des Droits de
l'Homme' (Human Rights League) also expressed serious concerns and reminds
the police that global interception is illegal under the criminal code law
and serious evidence must be shown before doing any interception.

'Un mouchard sur le réseau ADSL de Belgacom' (15.04.2004)
http://www.dhnet.be/dhinfos/article.phtml?id=98178

Statement Federal Police (in French - 16.04.2004)
http://www.fedpol.be/polfed/event/press/2004/26.htm

Nicetrack product information
http://www.nice.com/products/security/nicetrack.html

AEL information and campaign
http://wiki.ael.be/forums.html/NoCompromiseOnPrivacyNews

[mosc]

[elektro80]

Israel has probably recruited a better advertising team.

[paul e.]