Britain gov't proposes tracking all citizen calls, e-mails and web visits

[yllus]

I know it's getting to be a bit of a cliche around here, but Britain really is sucking large lately. Orwell wrote his book as a warning of what to avoid, not to act as a how-to manual, yanno?

On the bright side, most Britons seem opposed to the new proposal, though they don't seem to be bothered enough to raise much of a fuss.

Every phone call, email and internet click stored by 'state spying' databases

All telecoms companies and internet service providers will be required by law to keep a record of every customer's personal communications, showing who they are contacting, when, where and which websites they are visiting.

Despite widespread opposition over Britain's growing surveillance society, 653 public bodies will be given access to the confidential information, including police, local councils, the Financial Services Authority, the Ambulance Service, fire authorities and even prison governors.

They will not require the permission of a judge or a magistrate to access the information, but simply the authorisation of a senior police officer or the equivalent of a deputy head of department at a local authority.

Ministers had originally wanted to store the information on a massive Government-run database, but chose not to because of privacy concerns.

The Home Office admitted that only a third of respondents to its six-month consultation on the issue supported its proposals, with 50 per cent fearing that the scheme lacked sufficient safeguards to protect the highly personal data from abuse.

The new law will increase the amount of personal data which can be accessed by officials through the controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), which is supposed to be used for combatting terrorism.

 

[sciwizam]

Despite widespread opposition over Britain's growing surveillance society, 653 public bodies will be given access to the confidential information, including police, local councils, the Financial Services Authority, the Ambulance Service, fire authorities and even prison governors.

They will not require the permission of a judge or a magistrate to access the information, but simply the authorisation of a senior police officer or the equivalent of a deputy head of department at a local authority.

Ministers had originally wanted to store the information on a massive Government-run database, but chose not to because of privacy concerns.

Yeah, but with this current proposal we have alleviated those privacy concerns.

 

[JKing106]

They really don't give fuck about your opinion of them, either. Don't go to England. Problem solved. Why don't you bitch about America monitoring every single email and phone call via The Patriot Act?

 

[StageLeft]

They really don't give fuck about your opinion of them, either. Don't go to England. Problem solved. Why don't you bitch about America monitoring every single email and phone call via The Patriot Act?

It doesn't. Get informed.

Shameful, England is just a huge bucket of fail in recent years, it's completely going down the toilet.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Sounds good to me. If you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.

Between teh terrarasts and teh kidi pr0n I'd say it's about time we have one government supervisor per (non)private citizen, and a high-level party supervisor for each 3-4 supervisors.

Then we'd finally all be safe.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Sounds good to me. If you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.

Between teh terrarasts and teh kidi pr0n I'd say it's about time we have one government supervisor per (non)private citizen, and a high-level party supervisor for each 3-4 supervisors.

Then we'd finally all be safe.

And it will get free health care for all!

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

They really don't give fuck about your opinion of them, either. Don't go to England. Problem solved. Why don't you bitch about America monitoring every single email and phone call via The Patriot Act?

Considering that the Patriot Act, for the piece of shit it is doesn't monitor as you say it does my conclusion is that you simply hate this country. If you live elsewhere, stay away, and if not George Orwell welcomes you to Oceania with open arms. Flights are leaving now!

Adios!

 

[dahunan]

LOL.. Bet they been doing it for years and now they just start saying they are considering it

 

[3chordcharlie]

Considering that the Patriot Act, for the piece of shit it is doesn't monitor as you say it does my conclusion is that you simply hate this country. If you live elsewhere, stay away, and if not George Orwell welcomes you to Oceania with open arms. Flights are leaving now!

Adios!

There is very little difference between monitoring every phone call, and giving yourself the right to do so.

What little 'protection' is given in the Patriot Act has holes big enough to drive a pretty comprehensive, clandestine, and arbitrary domestic surveillance program through.

Edit - typing

 

[Darwin333]

LOL.. Bet they been doing it for years and now they just start saying they are considering it

This should be a great place to ask: How much data would that be over a given period of time? Seems like that would be a shit ton of data to be recording and storing. What kind of hardware would be required to search that kind of database 5 years ago (are we talking a few dozen of my old high end servers of the time or a few hundred,etc)?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

There is very little difference between monitoring every phone call, and giving yourself the right to do so.

What little 'protection' is given in the Patriot Act has holes big enough to drive a pretty comprehensive, clandestine, and arbitrary domestic surveillance program through.

Edit - typing

Who said I liked that POS. The point is that what is happening overseas seems far more active and pervasive. Does our own foolishness excuse that which is worse?

 

[StageLeft]

Who said I liked that POS. The point is that what is happening overseas seems far more active and pervasive. Does our own foolishness excuse that which is worse?

No, and there is a difference anyway. Every country has the ability via warrant to access records if they are stored. This not only makes accessing them laughably easy (easier than the patriot act) but also by edict says they all must be stored. So instead of what the US has in which some records are stored, some not, reasonably hard to access them, here we're talking all have to be stored and your next door neighbor senior police office or councilman can get to them all.

 

[OCGuy]

They really don't give fuck about your opinion of them, either. Don't go to England. Problem solved. Why don't you bitch about America monitoring every single email and phone call via The Patriot Act?

Not only are you a troll, but you are ignorant too.

 

[blackangst1]

The UK is a piece of work. I feel bad for their citizens. And lets not forget this is the same country that will indict you on thought crime! True story. Now, put aside the content as to why they were investigating (child porn) and look at the comments by the police, prosecution, and JUDGE:

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/...charge-man/article-595152-detail/article.html

Concerns were raised in court yesterday about how Carpenter had been using the images to fuel "unlawful fantasies" and that "sex items" had been found at his home.


The judge, Recorder Ros Collins, said: "There are aspects of this that give some cause for concern and are perhaps outside the ordinary realm of cases like this."


She added: "There's the fear that something awful has happened in the past or will happen in the future because of the finding of other material."


Both the prosecution and defence said there was nothing to suggest Carpenter had acted upon his fantasies. He appeared in custody yesterday to be sentenced, but the hearing was postponed until later this year.

"These images have to be seen against the fact there is clear evidence they are fuelling some very unlawful fantasies," he said. "This is borne out by the fact that there are artefacts fuelling these fantasies, although fantasies are as far as they go."



UN.FUCKING.BELIEVABLE.

 

[yllus]

They really don't give fuck about your opinion of them, either. Don't go to England. Problem solved. Why don't you bitch about America monitoring every single email and phone call via The Patriot Act?

Why would I care any more about America than I do about my Commonwealth brethren?

This should be a great place to ask: How much data would that be over a given period of time? Seems like that would be a shit ton of data to be recording and storing. What kind of hardware would be required to search that kind of database 5 years ago (are we talking a few dozen of my old high end servers of the time or a few hundred,etc)?

A lot! Frankly, I'm not even sure it's possible. To put it into perspective, though, the reported pricetag (paid by the taxpayer) is £2 billion and the implementation process is to last 10 years.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Who said I liked that POS. The point is that what is happening overseas seems far more active and pervasive. Does our own foolishness excuse that which is worse?

Of course not, but the reverse is also true.

 

[irishScott]

Why would I care any more about America than I do about my Commonwealth brethren?



A lot! Frankly, I'm not even sure it's possible. To put it into perspective, though, the reported pricetag (paid by the taxpayer) is £2 billion and the implementation process is to last 10 years.

In the middle of an economic recession. Hahahaha this isn't going anywhere.

I'm definitely seeing V for Vendetta more and more though. Anyone wearing masks outside Parliament yet?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Of course not, but the reverse is also true.

Of course. You may remember I wasn't particularly thrilled with Iraq, before the war ever happened. That's an understatement on my part.

 

[Cheesetogo]

I'm guessing 1984 in 10 years, V for Vendetta in 2-3?

 

[CPA]

Sounds good to me. If you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.

Between teh terrarasts and teh kidi pr0n I'd say it's about time we have one government supervisor per (non)private citizen, and a high-level party supervisor for each 3-4 supervisors.

Then we'd finally all be safe.

With that logic, we should just scrap the 5th Amendment.

 

[JKing106]

Considering that the Patriot Act, for the piece of shit it is doesn't monitor as you say it does my conclusion is that you simply hate this country. If you live elsewhere, stay away, and if not George Orwell welcomes you to Oceania with open arms. Flights are leaving now!

Adios!

Nope, I just hate retards like you. Why don't you catch the plane, fucktard?

 

[kylebisme]

No, and there is a difference anyway. Every country has the ability via warrant to access records if they are stored. This not only makes accessing them laughably easy (easier than the patriot act) but also by edict says they all must be stored. So instead of what the US has in which some records are stored, some not, reasonably hard to access them, here we're talking all have to be stored and your next door neighbor senior police office or councilman can get to them all.

The Patriot Act circumvents the need for a warrant and gives effectively our government everything but the power to enforce the storage of records that the British government is after, but I suppose pretending a such a molehill is a mountain makes some feel better.

 

[Jaskalas]

The Patriot Act circumvents the need for a warrant and gives effectively our government everything but the power to enforce the storage of records that the British government is after, but I suppose pretending a such a molehill is a mountain makes some feel better.

One mole is nothing, but two moles are dangerous. They start reproducing and soon enough the whole mountain comes crashing down.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Sounds good to me. If you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.

Between teh terrarasts and teh kidi pr0n I'd say it's about time we have one government supervisor per (non)private citizen, and a high-level party supervisor for each 3-4 supervisors.

Then we'd finally all be safe.

*tap* *tap*

This thing working, or is my sarcasm meter in need of new batteries?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Nope, I just hate retards like you. Why don't you catch the plane, fucktard?

You're nothing if not entertaining. Please, continue.