CIA's secret UK bank trawl may be illegal

[cal04]

US effort to track jihadist money transfers faces inquiry over privacy
A covert programme under which confidential information about British banking transactions is passed to the CIA with the full knowledge of the government may breach both British and European law, the Guardian has learned.

The information commissioner, who is responsible for enforcing the Data Protection Act, is investigating the arrangement, which has seen details of computerised transactions from around the world passed to the CIA in an attempt to spy on the financiers of jihadist terrorism.

The US government has acknowledged that the agency has been receiving international financial records from the Belgian-based co-operative which processes money transfers on behalf of the world's banks. The programme was launched in the wake of the September 11 attacks.



(snip)
A spokesman for the information commissioner told the Guardian that the privacy issue was being taken "extremely seriously". If the CIA had accessed financial data belonging to European individuals then this was "likely to be a breach of EU data protection legislation", he said, adding that UK data protection laws may also have been breached if British banking transactions had been handed over. The commissioner is requesting more information from Swift and the Belgium authorities before deciding how to proceed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1854815,00.html

[walkon]

1. Oh well.

Go about your business. John Mark is comin' home (First time in Colorado?). Some dude's gone crazy south of Dallas. Kidd and Pamela are STILL gettin' married - somewhere.

[ShockediSay]

2. if a democracy needs to change the law to protect itself, it can do so

lawfully, not like the secret police

ps: Brits' capture of terrorists was done w/ intel gathered in
compliance w/ the law, according to my sources

[rman]

3. ...it can do so undemocratically,

by means of piggy-backed legislation and presidential signing statements.

[annabanana]

4. If we lose the thread on REAL terrorist infomation because of

our Administration's distain for legal<[/b> information gathering... The case for treason against them is strengthened.

They are putting our Country in grave peril.

[Supersedeas]

8. even without the legal issue, the misAdmin has put the country is a bad

spot

[Tellurian]

5. What?

Jihadists aren't users of conventional banking systems. They have their own system of banking totally out of the reach of Western intel.

Another perversion of a system, in the name of Nat'l Security, used to access private individual's banking records

[Biernuts]

6. Don't (didn't) use conventional banking systems? Look at the trail of

ATM and Credit Card use.

They didn't have printing presses for the cash they paid for their flights - ATMs were their resource. And as they adapt and try to assimilate into the US or UK cultures MORE use of "conventional systems" will be the norm so as not to attract attention.

<http://foi.missouri.edu/terrorbkgd/hijackerincity.html>

[Tellurian]

9. Of course- my bad..

I got my Jihadists mixed up with my alquedistas.
Benny uses the old system. It's safer for him than using
the plastic used by the jr. jhidists.

What do the Hizbollahs use (when they purchase binoculars made in the UK?)
PayPal?

[indepat]

7. We can take comfort this junta's CIA will spy on financiers of jihadist

terrorism only and not the loyal opposition.

[Tellurian]

10. Ummm...

:rofl: