Rights Groups Slam UK Government for RIPA changes

tenori writes "Want to intercept internet traffic but have a pesky public consultation to get out of the way? Just keep the consultation period as short as you can get away with and exclude the people it affects. Rights groups are questioning why the coalition government has only allowed a month for changes to the RIPA act. The Home Office continues to refuse to meet civil society groups, saying, 'We are focusing on those parties directly affected by the changes to the extent that those parties would be subject to the civil sanction or directly concerned with it, or are directly responsible, where lawful interception is taking place, for ensuring that consent has been obtained to the interception.' The ORG said, 'In other words, the many thousands of people who have been adversely affected by illegal interception, and those who seek to stand up for their rights, are not "directly concerned" according to the Home Office.'"

Comments

Re:Anonymous Coward

[PopeRatzo]

Consultation is a con. They have to do it but are under no obligation to listen to anything anyone said.

That's because we citizens (at least Americans) are too busy consuming and being consumed to exercise their franchise. The last big election, the one with the supposed "Republican Tsunami" only 40 percent of the voters actually took the time to vote.

An even more important franchise is the one where citizens actually show up whether it's in front of Congress or at the offices of elected representatives. I'm not saying it has to be done with pitchforks and torches, although that's an important option, but there's little as effective for influencing an elected official as a thousand people screaming for his attention.

I happen to think the "Tea Party" is made up of stooges and rubes who are being manipulated to fight against their own best interests (at least the ones who aren't just drooling racists, which is a large plurality) but I have to give them credit for actually getting in the faces of their elected representatives. I hold out hope that at some point they will realize they are being played by the people in power to do their bidding. If that day ever happens, if they ever figure out who's really fucking whom, and if they are willing to put aside their bigotry for just a short while (which is asking a lot, I know) then they will be a real force to be reckoned with.