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Belgium Says US Financial Spy Program Illegal

HeadlineSep 29, 2006

Meanwhile, The Bush administration’s secret monitoring of international financial transactions has been dealt a major setback in Europe. On Thursday, the Belgian government said the program is illegal and will have to be changed. Belgium is home to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT. The organization helps direct trillions of dollars in international bank transfers each day. The decision comes on the heels of a major report from Belgium’s Privacy Commission that says SWIFT improperly gave data on millions of transactions to US officials.

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