UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Monitor

[CuttingEdge100]

UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Monitor All Internet Use
URL: http://www.puppetgov.com/2009/11/09...tions-firms-askd-to-monitor-all-internet-use/

The Home Office says it will push ahead with plans to ask communications firms to monitor all internet use.

Ministers confirmed their intention despite concerns and opposition from some in the industry.

The proposals include asking firms to retain information on how people use social networks such as Facebook.

Some 40% of respondents to the Home Office’s consultation opposed the plans – but ministers say communication interception needs to be updated.

Both the police and secret security services have legal powers in the UK to intercept communications in the interests of combating crime or threats to national security.

What are your opinions?

 

[FordSVT]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

I think that if the police are tracking a terrorist or organized crime figure or some other piece of shit, and all they have legal access to is their phone and email records, they can't do fuck all these days. This legislation needs to be constructed carefully and access to these types of records need to be meticulously monitored and never abused, but all in all it's necessary. It's a pretty straight-forward and logical extension of existing legislation.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

I'm honestly sick and tired of fear of terrorism causing us to abandon basic values including, but not limited to, placing limits on government intrusion into the lives of innocent people.

Honestly, I think the worst thing to come out of 9/11 is that it's been leaped upon by all sorts of power-hungry individuals who have exploited this catastrophe it to gut our rights and freedoms and wage seemingly never ending war.

 

[FordSVT]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

Fine, not terrorists. Drug dealers, organized crime, people suspected of murder.

Why do you have a problem with this but not with the government tapping phone lines and sequestering emails?

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

FordSVT,

I have a problem with the government recording and monitoring all internet activity and telephone transmissions. If you want to target a specific person whom you have probable cause to suspect a crime has been committed, then get a warrant and start searching.

Why do you have a problem with this but not with the government tapping phone lines and sequestering emails?

I have a problem with that too

 

[Count Zero]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

Uh, this article is from 2009. In the meantime, the government of the UK has changed to one that in its coalition treaty promised to roll back several of the surveillance state measures thought up and implemented by the previous one. Let's see how that goes, first.

From what I gather from the article, this seems to be the implementation of the EU directive for data retention. Personally, I'm absolutetly against this because I don't think it's proportional to surveil everyone's communication and preserve the data for 6 months (or longer in some countries) just to fight some crime. I've fought a similiar law passed in my country (successfully) and the EU directive itself is under scrutiny and might be shot down in autumn. I'm not sure what the current law is in the UK, i.e. whether they've passed a data retention law or not.

 

[Pingfah]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

^ You fought the law successfully, or it passed successfully?

 

[Count Zero]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

The law passed in 2007 despite protests. There was a substantial movement against it and that movement filed a lawsuit before the Federal Constitutional Court. That lawsuit had about 20,000 signatories (including me) making it the largest ever. In March this year the Federal Constitutional Court nullified the law and ordered all collected data to be destroyed. I know that's silly but it felt like a personal victory to me.

 

[FordSVT]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

FordSVT,

I have a problem with the government recording and monitoring all internet activity and telephone transmissions. If you want to target a specific person whom you have probable cause to suspect a crime has been committed, then get a warrant and start searching.

Why do you have a problem with this but not with the government tapping phone lines and sequestering emails?

I have a problem with that too

You don't think the government should be able to get a warrant to wire tap the phone of a suspected terrorist or criminal? That's a rather odd position to have, if I may be so blunt.

 

[Deks]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

FordSVT,

I have a problem with the government recording and monitoring all internet activity and telephone transmissions. If you want to target a specific person whom you have probable cause to suspect a crime has been committed, then get a warrant and start searching.

Why do you have a problem with this but not with the government tapping phone lines and sequestering emails?

I have a problem with that too

You don't think the government should be able to get a warrant to wire tap the phone of a suspected terrorist or criminal? That's a rather odd position to have, if I may be so blunt.

And where exactly do we draw the line?
Do we have any assurance this won't provide the government with the ability to monitor everyone ALL the time and watch for ANYTHING that could be said (even in a joking capacity) and used against people when they are brought in for questioning?

I know it's going out on the limb, but they ARE capable of such feats.

Besides, we have 0 insurance they aren't doing this already in secrecy ...
The thing is they cannot do anything from a legal perspective right now with that information.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

FordSVT,

You don't think the government should be able to get a warrant to wire tap the phone of a suspected terrorist or criminal?

I think the government should have the power to engage in a wiretap of people suspected of committing a crime; I do not think they should be spying on everybody and recording the transmissions of everyone.

 

[FordSVT]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

^That's not what they're doing though.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

Does it not occur to anyone that we're arguing over an article from a site called "PuppetGov"? Obviously, this is an impartial source.

 

[FordSVT]

Re: UK Surveillance Plan Goes Ahead: Communication Firms Asked to Mon

Oh it occurred to me, I just figured I'd deal with the content rather than the source, as it would have inevitably led me into TNZ territory with the OP.