15 July 2008
Reports from the Home Office suggest the draft Communications Data Bill contains yet more intrusive measures to snoop and spy on law abiding citizens, perhaps even requiring ISPs or telecoms companies to allow the Home Office direct access to their networks [1].
Responding to issues raised by the Bill, Phil Booth, NO2ID [2] National Coordinator said:
"While there is a place for the interception of telephone and internet communication when properly warranted and authorised by a court in the course of a specific criminal investigation, the idea of a giant monolithic database containing the phone and internet records of every British citizen is as monstrous in principle as it is technically absurd.
"If true, this would effectively short circuit the negligible safeguards that currently exist and provide 1,400 public bodies [3] from the Post Office to the Financial Services Authority with easy access to your data. It would end for all time the entirely reasonable presumption that your phone records and internet use, for which YOU pay, would be kept private.
"Not only another catastrophic blow to privacy, liberties and freedom from state interference, this - alongside cradle-to-grave monitoring through the children's database, ContactPoint, and the National Identity Scheme - will
be another founding stone in building all that is required for a surveillance state."
-ENDS-
Notes for editors:
1) Much like the 'Carnivore' system developed by the FBI in the US.
2) NO2ID is the UK-wide non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. See http://www.no2id.net/dbstate.php for a list of 'database state' initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing.
3) The government appears to want to avoid the controversy caused by giving, e.g. Local Authorities surveillance powers under the Regulation of Investigative Powers Act (RIPA).
For further information, or for immediate or future interview, please contact:
Phil Booth (National Co-ordinator, national.coordinator@no2id.net) on 07974 230 839
Guy Herbert (General Secretary, general.secretary@no2id.net) on 07956 544 308
Michael Parker (Press Officer, press.officer@no2id.net) on 07773 376 166
The NO2ID Campaign
Box 412
19-21 Crawford Street
London W1H 1PJ
enquiries@no2id.net
Tel: 07005 800 651
Press: click here
