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                Date: 2002-03-05
                 
                 
                UK: Big Brother Awards 2002
                
                 
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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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