EU Commissioner Frattini wants to make cyber terrorism incitement a crime

(November, 01, Brussel, Sri Lanka Guardian) On Tuesday next week the EU Commissioner for Freedom, Security and Justice Franco Frattini will submit a package of proposals designed to supplement the EU Action Plan on Terrorism. It includes an action plan for preventing terrorist access to explosives by securing these with the help of storage, transport and tracing measures.

A second proposal relates to the collection of flight passenger data by European authorities. Taking its cue from the PNR system adopted by the United States the planned EU system dubbed European Passenger Name Record (PNR) would oblige airlines to hand over data of passengers flying into the European Union to the security agencies. In his proposal Mr. Frattini intends to outline which data will be collected and for how long these will be retained. What is not yet clear is whether the proposed collection scheme will encompass flights within the European Union. Photo: EU Commissioner for Freedom, Security and Justice Franco Frattini

The third proposal deals with measures relating to the Internet. According to information obtained by Reuters Commissioner Frattini wants to make inciting, recruiting and training for terrorism on the Internet a criminal offence punishable by minimum sentences throughout the European Union. Thus in future the newly created EU offense of "public provocation to commit a terrorist offense" would be punishable even if the incitement did not lead to an actual attack. The offense is defined as "the distribution, or otherwise making available, of a message to the public, with the intent to incite the commission" of acts of terrorism.

In a memorandum on his proposals Commissioner Frattini said the Internet served as one of the principal boosters of the process of radicalization and recruitment of militants, as well as "a source of information on terrorist means and methods, thus functioning as a 'virtual training camp'." Whether Mr. Frattini will stick to his plans to have access to certain websites blocked, remains to be seen. A number of EU ministers of the interior had voiced criticism of the latter proposal.

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