Brussels, 28/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 23 April, MEPs adopted an own-initiative report in which it warns of the dangers of profiling European citizens using new police technologies. The report, drafted by Sarah Ludford (ALDE, UK) and adopted by the large majority of 372 votes to 12, with 17 abstentions, deals with the issue of profiling on the basis of criteria such as ethnicity, religion, gender and age in counter-terrorism, maintenance of order and immigration control operations. While acknowledging that profiling can be a legitimate investigation tool when based on specific information, MEPs nonetheless consider ethnic profiling to be of “serious concern” and call for the definition of profiling at European level. They say that “mining” of computer-held data deserves political discussion since the volume of data left by law-abiding citizens is far greater than that left by criminals. MEPs, then, called on the Council of the EU to include treatment of personal data in a legal framework setting clear limits for use. Access to police or secret service files should only be authorised on a case by case basis, monitored by judicial authorities, MEPs said. They want to assess the effectiveness and legitimacy of profiling operations with regard to European law and international treaties. (B.C./transl.rt)