Many believe that measures introduced or planned in the EU since 9/11 balance security and civil liberties. However, they will place the entire population of the EU under surveillance. The Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) will soon be introduced to vet air travellers; the EU identity card will include fingerprints for use within the Schengen space, and will be bundled together with medical cards and driver’s licences in the foreseeable future; and communications service providers will soon have to retain data for a minimum of twelve months, and to make this available on demand to a law enforcement agency within or beyond the EU. Meanwhile, technology multinationals are set to make a massive profit. Civil society has yet to respond to this massive shift in power.
