"Pascal" wrote in message
oups.com...

This is posted on the IMO page: what are the concerns ans implications?
I have seen many people broadcasting the ships positions on the webb.

Maritime security - AIS ship data

At its79th session in December 2004, the Maritime Safety Committee
(MSC) agreed that, in relation to the issue of freely available
automatic information system (AIS)-generated ship data on the
world-wide web, the publication on the world-wide web or elsewhere of
AIS data transmitted by ships could be detrimental to the safety and
security of ships and port facilities and was undermining the efforts
of the Organization and its Member States to enhance the safety of
navigation and security in the international maritime transport sector.

According to Dutch law and the law in many other countries, one is either:
a) free to receive anything, but one may not use, retransmit or publish
received messages to a third party. So according to that law, it would be
illegal IMO to publish AIS data on the web.

or

b) one is not allowed to receive anything else than broadcaast radio, unless
one has a licence for a specific radio service (Germany comes to mind, where
the posession of scanners is illegal).

Meindert