Category: privacy

This was always likely to happen given recent events, the ridiculous snooper’s charter which was originally tabled in 2012 by the then home secretary Theresa May has been approved and passed.

Over the years it’s been blocked and repealed with good cause, civil liberties groups have described it as the most extreme surveillance legislation ever passed in a democratic nation.   It’s a huge blow to personal privacy with the government basically having access to pretty  much everything we do online.

Here’s some stand out points:

Internet provider’s Forced to Log Web History for 12 Months

This is a great one, your ISP will be forced to record every single web site you visit for 12 months.  So just imagine this, Government departments will be able to generate a list of every single web site you have visited for the last year.   Sounds a bit Orwellian,  a bit intrusive?  We thinks so!  Further imagine sitting down for an interview or an application with some Government official sitting across the desk from you with that list in hand.

Decrypt Data on Demand

The government will have the power to force any company or individual to decrypt data on demand.  Obviously no one really has any idea how this will work or how it can be implemented, but this just means it can be made up to suit the situation.  Is your VPN a protection, who knows if the law demands you hand over the key perhaps not.

Intelligence Agencies can Hack into Our Devices and Computers

Great eh!  Not only do they get a list of every porn site you may have inadvertently clicked on over the last 12 months, but the Government can legitimately hack into your phone, TV or internet enabled toaster to pry just a little bit further.  The use of the word ‘devices’ means they have pretty much ‘carte blanche’ to break into every electronic device in your possession and create sinister, snoopy lists and databases.

There are many other provisions, and in the spirit of oppressive regimes everywhere lots  of them are kept suitably vague and unclear.  This is important because it allows the security agencies to do pretty much anything and claim it is covered under the legislation.  Places like Iran, Turkey and China have been doing this for decades.

Is privacy a basic human right?  Many people think so, yet this legislation completely erodes that concept.   It’s been criticized from all quarters – privacy groups, United Nations representatives, lots of IT companies and even the parliamentary committee that was tasked with looking through the bill.

Nothing seemed to matter and the UK has now established a legal right to spy on it’s citizens like some second rate, despotic regime.