Slashdot Mirror
UK Government Surveillance Faces Legal Challenge.. In Secret Court
judgecorp writes "Privacy International is mounting a legal challenge against snooping by the UK government's intelligence agency GCHQ. But the case will be held in secret The group is challenging UK government access to Privacy, and the UK's own Tempora system, arguing that both allow 'indiscriminate' snooping because they operate in secrecy with a lack of legal oversight. All well and good — but the authorities have ruled that Privacy's challenge must be heard by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which hears cases in secret and is under no obligation to explain or justify its verdicts."
Yes, the problem is that random accidents and animal attacks are different than deliberate human actions.
Part of the reason that terrorism is under control in the UK, is that the authorities are taking reasonably effective action. You can tell that from the stream of arrests and convections on terrorism related offenses.
If you get this wrong it is easy for the numbers to change quickly. 9/11 - 2,973 dead. 7/7 - 52 dead. Bali - 202 dead. Madrid - 191 dead, 1841 wounded.
In Iraq they were suffering multiple attacks per week of this sort at times.
It would be unwise to grow complacent since the extremists won't be changing their minds, or giving up soon.
As for cameras and secret courts for bees, I doubt that sort of silliness will help, but it may prove popular among Python fans. Perhaps you could form a new ministry for it?
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell