Your Information in the Govt's Hands

[eighthobstruction]

Has anyone got any links to what was on the news today about a Govt Bill concerning govt being able to access and trace our emails and other internet information....

I found this....http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17576745

[MrGongGong]

It might be something to do with the hosepipe amnesty ?

or even the obvious spoof of being sent down for quoting the words of a well known song by the Kaiser Chiefs ?

[amateur51]

How they have the gall to put this up for discussion when the Leveson Inquiry into the corruption of and misuse of existing data sources is nowhere near concluded I have no idea.

David Davis's interview struck the right note, I feel - why is it needed and why isn't an independent authority (judge, magistrate) being asked to review the need and give recorded permission first?

And please don't give us the old "if you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to worry about" line [you know who you are! ]

[eighthobstruction]

A good plot for a novel set in 1984....or a song set in Brixton....or William Gibson bedtime story....

[MrGongGong]

And please don't give us the old "if you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to worry about" line [you know who you are! ]

I'm IGNORING YOU so I don't know what you are talking about ???

[Serial_Apologist]

Damn - this means I'll have to get Miss Whiplash up Elmers End to delete all our correspondence...

[eighthobstruction]

Perhaps we will get to know who a Wagner lover is texting and tweeting to when he should be working in South Coast Theatre Box office....

[teamsaint]

well I suspect that with facilities like this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echelon_(signals_intelligence)

the can already check in detail what folks are posting on here !!

Hard to know what they would make of it.

the things we KNOW that the governments(s) do are bad enough. I expect they keep quiet about the really naughty stuff.

although this bill will presumably just mean they don't have to bother covering up so much.

[Simon]

The predictable reactions from the predictable left. Who clearly haven't bothered to study the proposals, but whose knees have jerked, as usual, against any form of authority or regulation.

Contents of such traffic will NOT be allowed to be read without a warrant. What will be available are statistics about what sites people are visiting and to which addresses their emails are going.

This will allow the intelligence community a window through which they may be able to trace links to people who wish us harm. (Yes, liberals, there are some nasty people out there!)

For example, if an address abroad is at some point identified by an asset as being inimical to the UK, it will be possible to trace those in the country who have communicated with that address.

Similar opportunities will occur with regards to more general internet crime - and will be particularly useful in the fight against people-trafficking and those perverts who prey on little boys and girls.

Now, I don't know about anyone else, but for me almost anything that prevents such abuse would be a very worthy strategy to support. Not to do so would be to give de facto encouragement to those with things to hide.

Liberty has to be limited in order to be worthwhile: complete freedom is not a freedom at all. There is no logical argument against this idea, although there will be the usual whining from anti-government pressure groups and various hangers on who hate anything to do with the police or those who try to keep the country safe. And no doubt those on here will do their bit of mudslinging too - though of course without one shred of rationality behind their comment. <doh>

[Simon]

the things we KNOW that the governments(s) do are bad enough.

Really, teamsaint. And what do you KNOW that they do that is so bad, then?

Please don't just repeat something you may have read in Socialist Worker...

[EdgeleyRob]

Maybe someone will discover my poems.

[MrGongGong]

the predictable reactions from the predictable left. Who clearly haven't bothered to study the proposals, but whose knees have jerked, as usual, against any form of authority or regulation.

Contents of such traffic will not be allowed to be read without a warrant. What will be available are statistics about what sites people are visiting and to which addresses their emails are going.

This will allow the intelligence community a window through which they may be able to trace links to people who wish us harm. (yes, liberals, there are some nasty people out there!)

for example, if an address abroad is at some point identified by an asset as being inimical to the uk, it will be possible to trace those in the country who have communicated with that address.

Similar opportunities will occur with regards to more general internet crime - and will be particularly useful in the fight against people-trafficking and those perverts who prey on little boys and girls.

Now, i don't know about anyone else, but for me almost anything that prevents such abuse would be a very worthy strategy to support. Not to do so would be to give de facto encouragement to those with things to hide.

Liberty has to be limited in order to be worthwhile: Complete freedom is not a freedom at all. There is no logical argument against this idea, although there will be the usual whining from anti-government pressure groups and various hangers on who hate anything to do with the police or those who try to keep the country safe. And no doubt those on here will do their bit of mudslinging too - though of course without one shred of rationality behind their comment. <doh>

welcome back simple simon........... I said
welcome back
and well done in your help to get George elected



and so the "logic" returns

"Nothing to hide, Nothing to fear"

[teamsaint]

the things I was referring to were the very obvious things.........reducing pension rights, privatising the NHS without asking, trebling tuition fees, instigating fuel crises, fighting wars on spurious grounds. Nothing controversial.Just run of the mill bad things.

[Chris Newman]

Ignoring the predictable reaction from the predictable ultra-right I concur that it is a lovely April the First spoof from the BBC. After a week of own goals, missed targets and heads in the sand the Government is running out of its own feet to shoot (sorry, a very mixed metaphor, but it should confuse Simon for a couple of hours*).

*I wish we had a slaphead smiley.....

[teamsaint]

Maybe someone will discover my poems.

what better silver lining could there be?