Used Copiers - Your Data For Sale

Your Doctors office, employer, bank, car dealer, mortgage company and others are selling hard drives containing perfect copies of your most private information.

In fact, nearly everything ever copied, scanned or faxed in the past decade is likely for sale in various warehouses full of second hand copiers.

Privacyauthority.org's previous posting regarding the risks of copy machines was met with disbelief. The following additional piece from CBS News may bring the proper level of attention to the matter.


Watch the CBS News Story

EU Parliament to Reject US Demand for Bank Transfer Data

Recent years of what some have described as over-reaching US policy has lead to a backlash from the European Parliament.

SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Funds Transfers, is the mechanism by which nearly all international bank transfers are sent and received, and by which funds are verified internationally. SWIFT handles some 15 million international money transfers each day.

Secret deals during the last decade moved SWIFT servers from Europe to US Soil, so that US intelligence agencies could monitor money transfer activity over the SWIFT system. This arrangement met with severe opposition when it saw the light of day in 2009, as SWIFT defied US requests and moved its servers back to Europe.

FULL STORY: SPIEGEL ONLINE

Now the European Parliament is likely to spike a deal which would allow US terrorism investigators access to European bank transfer data. Privacy advocates oppose the deal and Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office says the data profiling is ineffective in counter terrorism efforts.

US Loses Ground in Swiss Diplomatic Banking Standoff

UBS CUSTOMER WINS SWISS APPEAL, DENIES CAUSE IN TAX EVASION CLAIMS

4,450 OTHER CASES IN JEOPARDY BY PRECEDENT-SETTING CASE

FULL STORY - NY TIMES

The case follows a deal in August in which Switzerland agreed to give data to authorities in the United States on as many as 4,450 UBS accounts to settle a lawsuit in which the United States had sought information on as many as 52,000 accounts. This ruling throws doubt on whether Switzerland will be able to turn over all 4,450 accounts.

U.S. vs. UBS: A Fight Over Secret Swiss Bank Accounts

Privacy showdown.

I love it when the US flexes diplomatic muscle. This, however, is not the proper purpose or venue. The US can't win this. Obama needs to reign in the Treasury. If the accounts were in the US, the IRS likley would not be able to get the data with the same methods.

U.S. vs. UBS: A Fight Over Secret Swiss Bank Accounts


Individuals the world over - including in the US - are siding with Switzerland 9-1. It's not the way to keep improving our standing in the world.

If the US has the names, they can pressure the individuals by other means, as we all know. They are instead looking for UBS to do their work for them. Treasury boys need to do their own homework, stick to legal methods. Yes, even if there are tax evaders in the bunch (which has yet to be determined).