EU watchdogs concerned at US spying

Europe’s data protection agencies are demanding details on the US spying in the continent, warning that Washington’s so-called PRISM spying program may have breached privacy laws.

According to AFP, the G29, an umbrella organization that includes privacy watchdogs across Europe, said Monday that it wrote a letter to the European Union’s Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding last week in this regard.
The group called for “specifics regarding the exact nature of the data collected” by PRISM, and details on how US spy agencies access European citizens’ data.
The G29 said it needs the information in order to “evaluate in an independent manner the potential violations of European law and data protections, as well as the consequences of PRISM for the protection of European citizens’ private lives and data.”
It also plans to investigate whether similar spying programs are being run by European countries.
Germany’s independent privacy watchdogs said the spying programs breach an EU-US pact meant to ensure cross-border data protection.