Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

UK Government To Outsource Data Snooping and Storage

Posted by timothy on from the avoid-conflict-of-interest dept.

bone_idol writes "The Guardian is reporting that the private sector will be asked to manage and run a communications database that will keep track of everyone's calls, emails, texts and internet use under a key option contained in a consultation paper to be published next month by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary. Also covered on the BBC."

19 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. Left on a train by JohnHegarty · · Score: 4, Funny

    At least it's less lightly to be left on the train, if it's not in government hands.

    --
    Cruise TT
    1. Re:Left on a train by cyber-vandal · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You wish given that UK government IT is all outsourced to private sector cowboys.

    2. Re:Left on a train by Yacoby · · Score: 4, Insightful

      At least it's less lightly to be left on the train, if it's not in government hands.

      To be replaced by the private company selling it to the highest bidder?

    3. Re:Left on a train by daem0n1x · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yes, because the private companies never screw up.

    4. Re:Left on a train by Merusdraconis · · Score: 4, Funny

      They should outsource it to the train companies, cut out the middle man.

  2. Slippery slope by slugtastic · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Senior Whitehall officials responsible for planning for a new database say there is a significant difference between having access to "communications data" - names and addresses of emails or telephone numbers, for example - and the actual contents of the communications. "We have been very clear that there are no plans for a database containing any content of emails, texts or conversations," the spokeswoman said.

    Pretty slip indeed.

  3. We're screwed by Linker3000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    And as Jacqui drafts the invitation to tender document in Word - up pops clippy...

    "I see you are outsourcing Government IT requirements. What level of cock-up and overspend do you want?

    Shall I insert the address for:

    a) EDS
    b) Capita
    c) SAP
    d) IBM
    "

    --
    AT&ROFLMAO
  4. missed the issue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't be concerned at who is holding the data rather be concerned that the data is actually being collected.... (it's probably safer if the government isn't managing this anyway)

  5. Standard practice by Burnhard · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm afraid this is standard practice. Outsourcing allows those in charge to blame the company or corporation for any theft or data loss, not government ministers.

  6. Jackboots Jacqui strikes again by damburger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What the hell is wrong with that woman? More to the point, what the hell is wrong with us? In any sane society a person like that would've been strung up from a lamppost a long time ago.

    --
    If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
    1. Re:Jackboots Jacqui strikes again by jimicus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What the hell is wrong with that woman? More to the point, what the hell is wrong with us? In any sane society a person like that would've been strung up from a lamppost a long time ago.

      She's the product of a party which is obsessed with micromanaging the citizens of the country. A party which got to power by ruthlessly instilling discipline within its own membership - in other words, "follow the party line to the letter or get out".

      Jack Straw and David Blunkett were almost as bad. Tony Blair has openly gone on record as saying that he doesn't consider the civil liberties argument against ID cards to be a particularly strong one.

      There is no fscking chance you'll find anyone in a remotely senior position within the current Labour party who's prepared to contradict the party line - particularly when the arguments presented in favour always boil down to "it will drastically reduce crime" - never something that's easy to argue against.

    2. Re:Jackboots Jacqui strikes again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      UK citizens, get on this: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Anti-Big-Brother/

    3. Re:Jackboots Jacqui strikes again by Hal_Porter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      She's the product of a party which is obsessed with micromanaging the citizens of the country. A party which got to power by ruthlessly instilling discipline within its own membership - in other words, "follow the party line to the letter or get out".

      LOL WUT?

      Have you ever been a member of the Labour Party? Pretty much every meeting I went to was devoted to people carping about the leadership.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    4. Re:Jackboots Jacqui strikes again by xaxa · · Score: 5, Informative

      I've signed several of those petitions. They do nothing -- someone writes a response, and the issue is then ignored.

      If you have the time, write to your MP. Go here: http://www.writetothem.com/
      I haven't written to my MP yet, but I have written to the Mayor of London a couple of times. I received real, written responses and felt it was a much better use of my time than signing 10 spur-of-the-moment petitions. I'm currently waiting for a response from Boris Johnstone after responding to his transport policy document.

    5. Re:Jackboots Jacqui strikes again by replicant108 · · Score: 3, Informative

      That's a nice theory, but it's actually not about the party. The Home Office has been pushing for these powers since long before New Labour came to power.

      In fact, the Tories under John Major were pushing for ID cards in 1995 - a move opposed, ironically by Tony Blair.

      If you think that a Tory government will be any different then, you will be sorely disappointed.

      http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd%5B347%5D=x-347-61886

  7. Re:Please... by xaxa · · Score: 4, Informative

    Has anyone, from a sane country, got any room left? I want to leave the UK now, please?

    Well, you can choose any country in the EU with no difficulty. Anywhere in the EEA isn't much harder. Some Commonwealth countries, like Canada, Australia and New Zealand, want skilled immigrants.

    Or you could just complain about it online :-).

  8. Re:Whats new? by ZombieWomble · · Score: 3, Informative
    What's new is the scope of this database - the goal is to contain details of every single communication in the country. Information about every website accessed, every phone call made, every e-mail sent would be recorded in a database held by the government (or their appointed company), although not their contents (for now).

    Previously this data wasn't collected in a central location and was only gathered from providers as required by criminal investigations etc, but the goal here would be that the government should have every bit of communications data directly at hand at all times, even if it's not suspect in any fashion.

  9. ITIL by retech · · Score: 4, Funny

    Everything will be fine. Whoever it is will have to be ITIL certified. And a good certification guarantees a perfect outcome.

  10. People who have something to hide, can. by QJimbo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The thing about this whole database, is that it will only be able to log activity of people who don't think they have anything to hide, in other words, you and me. The average person.

    Criminals can just SSH tunnel everything through a server in some far away country. They will have no idea what those people are doing.

    So forgive me for seeing this as just an invasion of privacy as opposed to any serious way of fighting crime.