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UK Local Councils Spy On Emails and Calls

Posted by timothy on from the apb-for-winston-smith dept.

MrSteveSD writes "The Daily Mail is reporting that local councils have been using the controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to spy on people's phone and email records. Reasons given for the surveillance include checking for evidence of people storing petrol without permission and investigating unburied animal carcasses. The surveillance was uncovered using Freedom of Information laws. The scope of the RIPA act is staggering. It would be simpler to list who isn't allowed to access your phone and email records. Aside from political action, what can be done technologically to combat this threat? Use Skype rather than the normal telephone?"

9 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Understandable by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Funny

    The cops want sound with the video from CCTV cameras. They were tired of having to hire silent movie pianists while they watched the citizenry.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    1. Re:Understandable by dintech · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Of course they want sound. It makes being a peeping tom council worker so much more entertaining:

  2. Function Creep by silasthehobbit · · Score: 5, Informative

    As with all too many of the UK Government's policies, this was introduced with the express intention of dealing with suspected terrorists.

    Unfortunately, we Brits are about to get repeatedly hit over the head with the Terrorism Act (2000) - used recently in the case of a man who downloaded the 'Manchester Manual' from the US Department of Justice's servers, and was then arrested - and the Civil Contingencies Act - which allows the Government to suspend democratic process in a 'state of emergency'.

    At the present time, the Government are also trying to push through 42 days detention without charge, despite there being no evidence to justify such an increase from the current (and already excessive) 28 days.

    I am, like many people I know, looking to leave the UK for a new life abroad.

    1. Re:Function Creep by chrb · · Score: 4, Insightful

      On the bright side, 28->42 days is only an extra 2 weeks... the Patriot Act allows the US government to lock people up FOREVER without charge.

    2. Re:Function Creep by akadruid · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's only a month since Poole council hit the headlines for using RIPA to spy on families to check school applications[1] - council employees were literally following people around and sitting outside their houses. Not only is this explicitly legal, but they were prepared to go on record saying they considered it to be a normal desirable practice. There will be a lot more of this.

      The Tories want to get rid of the 'paperwork' of RIPA[2] too, which basically means eliminating those awkward checks and balances so they can get on with real spying in peace (that's how I read it anyway).

      On the bright side, the police hate RIPA[2] as it is, so at least its due for some more headlines first

      1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7341179.stm & http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1584713/Poole-council-spies-on-family-over-school-claim.html

      2. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/02/03/do0301.xml

      3. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/08/flanagan_ripa/

      --
      "Those who cast the votes decide nothing; those who count the votes decide everything." (attrib. Joseph Stalin)
  3. But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear (/sarcasm)

    Also my local council used the law to spy on a family trying to give their kids a decent education http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/11/localgovernment.ukcrime

    Or if you want you can download the forms to apply to spy on someone form here http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/ripa/about-ripa/forms/

  4. What a surprise by drsquare · · Score: 4, Funny

    UK Local Council in "Wasting Tax-Payers' Money and Being Crooked" Shocker. Film at 11.

    Next week: local resident arrested for 42 days without charge for putting the bins out too early.

  5. Sorry guys, it's my fault. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I went for a job in local government just last week and one of the interview questions was "What legislation, acts and policies are relevant to the job?"

    I mentioned all the usual - data protection act, freedom of information act, computer misuse act, health and safety at work act as well as standards policies like BS7799 etc. and then I also mentioned RIPA.

    The guy interviewing gave the response "Oh I'd not heard of that one before".

    Perhaps I should've kept my mouth shut.

  6. big brother by LingNoi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is a country where the most popular entertainment is watching a TV program where people in a house are recorded 24 hours a day.

    I doubt people here care that much.