Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

UK Government Faces Lawsuit Over Surveillance Exports

Posted by samzenpus on from the was-that-wrong? dept.

judgecorp writes "The UK government has been threatened with legal action, over its failure to block exports of espionage technology to oppressive regimes. British firms have sold covert surveillance equipment to the former Egyptian regime, as well as to Iran and Syria in recent months, and pressure group Privacy International has sent a letter asking for a change of policy and an update of export restrictions — backed by a threat that it will take the government to court if there is no response."

6 of 28 comments (clear)

  1. take the government to court by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

    Yeah? Whose court? Most governments enjoy sovereign immunity.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re:take the government to court by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 4, Informative

      Yeah? Whose court? Most governments enjoy sovereign immunity.

      Well, not exactly in the UK. Perhaps the threatened case would involve a writ of mandamus against the relevant ministers.

      --
      Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
    2. Re:take the government to court by Grumbleduke · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Put simply, the UK Government doesn't have sovereign immunity because it isn't actually sovereign. Under the UK constitution, it is Parliament that is sovereign (and so no act of Parliament can be questioned in another court - in theory), the government is bound by all sorts of things, usually via a judicial review or under Human Rights/EU law issues. If the Government breaks the law, it can sometimes be done for it.

      Actually, the monarch also has various immunities - I guess there are advantages to having a non-political/hereditary head of state; you're less likely to want to bring a case against them for screwing up stuff...

  2. Good! by Fatch+Racall · · Score: 2

    This is how to bring third world countries into the first world. Let their governments spy on their people! That's how we do it in the 'western' world, after all!

    --
    #include <disclaimer.h>
  3. Re:Cry havoc and let slip the strongly worded lett by Mashiki · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Oh don't worry. They go after file sharers more harshly than they do after someone murdering a few thousand people. Carry on.

    --
    Om, nomnomnom...
  4. "I can't disasterbate to this!" by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 2

    Oh, I see what ypu did there.

    Which, of course, is the whole problem when governmemt does it. Or when government forbids the people from doing it to governmemt.

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.