Editing Statewatch (section)

=== Early 2000s ===
''Statewatch Journal'' and ''Statewatch News'' covered a range of notable topics through the early 2000s. This included key issues such as the Genoa G8 protests in 2001,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statewatch {{!}} Search |url=https://www.statewatch.org/search?searchTerm=genoa+g8&isPhraseSearch=false&filters=&tags=&dateFrom=&dateTo=&currentPage=6&pageSize=20&sortDateAscending=desc |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> security and policing in Northern Ireland,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statewatch Journal |url=https://www.statewatch.org/publications/journal/vol-15-5-september-october-2005/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |series=Vol 15(5): September-October 2005 |language=en}}</ref> UK stop-and-search statistics,<ref>{{Cite web |title=UK: Stop & search: Ethnic injustice continues unabated |url=https://www.statewatch.org/news/2005/april/uk-stop-search-ethnic-injustice-continues-unabated/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> detention centres and abuses against migrants and refugees,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Border Wars and Asylum Crimes |url=https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/border-wars-and-asylum-crimes/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> and the policing of protests, in particular those organised by the anti-globalisation movement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statewatch {{!}} Search |url=https://www.statewatch.org/search?searchTerm=anti-globalisation&isPhraseSearch=false&filters=&tags=&dateFrom=&dateTo=&currentPage=2&pageSize=20&sortDateAscending=desc |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> The organisation's 10th anniversary conference in 2001 brought together hundreds of people from across Europe to discuss and debate topics such as surveillance, the role of civil society organisations in monitoring the state, racism in Europe, and freedom of information.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2001: 10th anniversary conference |url=https://www.statewatch.org/publications/events/2001-10th-anniversary-conference/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref>

During this time, Statewatch also reported on the effects of the “[[War on terror|War on Terror]]” on civil liberties, human rights and democratic standards. The organisation published news and reports on the “[https://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/march/statewatch-s-scoreboard-on-the-threats-to-civil-liberties-and-privacy-in-eu-terrorism-plans/ EU Scoreboard]”,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statewatch's "Scoreboard" on the threats to civil liberties and privacy in EU terrorism plans |url=https://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/march/statewatch-s-scoreboard-on-the-threats-to-civil-liberties-and-privacy-in-eu-terrorism-plans/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> [[George W. Bush]]’s letter to the EU,<ref>{{Cite web |title=US letter from Bush with demands for EU cooperation |url=https://www.statewatch.org/news/2001/november/us-letter-from-bush-with-demands-for-eu-cooperation/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> new measures on [[Data Retention Directive|data retention]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=European Parliament caves in on data retention |url=https://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/may/european-parliament-caves-in-on-data-retention/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> and the [[Passenger name record|surveillance of air travel and profiling of passengers]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=US demands EU airlines and ships provide passengers list |url=https://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/february/us-demands-eu-airlines-and-ships-provide-passengers-list/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> amongst others. With the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] and [[Privacy International]], they launched the [https://web.archive.org/web/20061011024142/https://policylaundering.org/ Policy Laundering project], analysing how governments were writing [[Counterterrorism|counter-terrorism]] measures into law by passing them through international organisations, rather than national parliaments.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-10-11 |title=The Policy Laundering Project |url=https://policylaundering.org/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011024142/https://policylaundering.org/ |archive-date=2006-10-11 }}</ref> They also kept several observatories, including one on the [[Passenger name record|Passenger Name Record Directive]], and produced a number of in-depth publications, including [https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/countering-civil-rights/ Countering Civil Rights],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Countering Civil Rights |url=https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/countering-civil-rights/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> [https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/the-war-on-freedom-and-democracy/ The War on Freedom and Democracy],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The War on Freedom and Democracy |url=https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/the-war-on-freedom-and-democracy/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> and [https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/journalism-civil-liberties-and-the-war-on-terrorism/ Journalism, Civil Liberties and the "War on Terrorism"] (with the [[International Federation of Journalists]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Journalism, Civil Liberties and the "War on Terrorism" |url=https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/journalism-civil-liberties-and-the-war-on-terrorism/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref>

Statewatch also contributed to research on the [[technological solutionism]] of governments that gained momentum during the [[Timeline of the War on Terror|War on Terror]]. Measures introduced by the EU and European national governments frequently relied on the promise of new technologies to detect or prevent terrorism and crime. Statewatch primarily focused on the EU security research programme, which funds the development of new security and [[surveillance technologies]].

In collaboration with the [[Transnational Institute]], the organisation published the reports [https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/arming-big-brother-the-eu-s-security-research-programme/ Arming Big Brother: the EU's Security Research Programme] (in 2006),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arming Big Brother: the EU's Security Research Programme |url=https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/arming-big-brother-the-eu-s-security-research-programme/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> and [https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/neoconopticon-the-eu-security-industrial-complex/ NeoConOpticon: The EU Security-Industrial Complex (2009)],<ref>{{Cite web |title=NeoConOpticon: The EU Security-Industrial Complex |url=https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/neoconopticon-the-eu-security-industrial-complex/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref> which documented and analysed the ways in which the EU was using public funding to support the development of controversial and intrusive new security technologies, in many cases by large military and defence corporations. In 2009, Statewatch also published [https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/the-shape-of-things-to-come/ The Shape of Things to Come], which warned that the EU had embarked on several highly controversial paths, including harnessing [[Digitization|digitisation]] to gather personal details on the everyday lives of everyone living in the [[European Union]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Shape of Things to Come |url=https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/the-shape-of-things-to-come/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.statewatch.org |language=en}}</ref>

Statewatch was one of few organisations focusing on [[Policy measures of the European Union|EU policy]] with regard to [[civil liberties]] and [[human rights]] at this time. Through this work, the organisation became recognised as a crucial information source at a time when the internet was not fully embedded in everyday life.<ref name=":0" /> Amongst the subscribers to the Bulletin/Journal were governmental institutions, social centres, activist groups, universities, and thousands of individuals; the Statewatch website received (and continues to receive) hundreds of thousands of hits every year.<ref name=":1" />