Britain Has Passed the 'Most Extreme Surveillance Law Ever Passed in a Democracy' (zdnet.com)

Zack Whittaker, reporting for ZDNet: The UK has just passed a massive expansion in surveillance powers, which critics have called "terrifying" and "dangerous." The new law, dubbed the "snoopers' charter," was introduced by then-home secretary Theresa May in 2012, and took two attempts to get passed into law following breakdowns in the previous coalition government. Four years and a general election later -- May is now prime minister -- the bill was finalized and passed on Wednesday by both parliamentary houses. Civil liberties groups have long criticized the bill, with some arguing that the law will let the UK government "document everything we do online." It's no wonder, because it basically does. The law will force internet providers to record every internet customer's top-level web history in real-time for up to a year, which can be accessed by numerous government departments; force companies to decrypt data on demand -- though the government has never been that clear on exactly how it forces foreign firms to do that that; and even disclose any new security features in products before they launch. Not only that, the law also gives the intelligence agencies the power to hack into computers and devices of citizens (known as equipment interference), although some protected professions -- such as journalists and medical staff -- are layered with marginally better protections. In other words, it's the "most extreme surveillance law ever passed in a democracy," according to Jim Killock, director of the Open Rights Group.

Comments

Truly despicable

[Oswald McWeany]

Truly despicable! I understand WHY they're doing it, but it's still wrong.

The only good thing is, at least they're letting you know ahead of time they're violating your privacy. (not that that is much of a prize).

Re:Truly despicable

[Nidi62]

So.....in order to keep others from making your country into a totalitarian state ruled by fear, you make your country a totalitarian state ruled by fear. Just wanted to make sure I understood you correctly.

Of course, the irony seems to be lost on you that most of the immigrants are coming from places that were under British protection of not outright British control at one time or another in the last 100 years. Karma can be a real bitch, huh?

Re:Truly despicable

[frovingslosh]

British amateurs think that a government needs the law on their side to spy on its citizens.

Re:Truly despicable

[Anonymous Coward]

Once the real British regain control of their borders and kick out the terrorists and others who daily engage in an active assault on British laws and culture, then they can afford to ease up on domestic spying.

This is what delusion looks like on the internet.

Re:Truly despicable

[91degrees]

So there isn't a problem of mass bombings and violence?

No. there isn't.

And is this violence coming from a select group of people?

I believe people with strong anti-muslim views tend to be disproportionately represented.

The simplest solution is to say clearly that freedom of expression trumps blasphemy laws. People can say whatever they want about a religion - even if i's considered blasphemous by adherents of that religion.

Yes. Fortunately blasphemy laws were abolished 8 years ago.

And violence, and threat of violence are not acceptable with prison or deportation (if non-citizen) as punishments.

I believe this is the case.

Re:Truly despicable

[Nidi62]

What does what the previous British monarchy of hundreds of years ago during the age of colonization and exploration have to do with letting in some of the worst and most uncivilized and hostile people on the planet?

I will just leave these links here. Feel free to peruse at your leisure.

Nor will you or any other leftist hypocritical clown

Not too many liberals happen to attend small, rural, Baptist affiliated universities such as the one I attended (weekly chapel attendance was all but mandatory even). Of course, you just demonstrated a common tactic that many on the right are starting to employ: decry anyone who has an education-particularly in science or history- or doesn't toe the increasingly radicalized party line as a "leftist", as if that is supposed to be some kind of insult. I figure if the alt-right hates me and the alt-left hates me then I must be doing something right. The truth is I am something of a centrist in that I am pro limited government (which includes the government leaving abortion and gay marriage alone as it has no right controlling those things, if you or your religion don't like it the government isn't forcing you to have one yourself) and reasonable checks on firearm ownership such as mandatory safety, legal, and competency training (and I own multiple firearms, some of which are illegal to own in certain states).

Re:Truly despicable

[Nidi62]

Probably more like 99.99% We are many, they are few but how do you catch those bad apples?

Police work. Talk to people. Adopt policies that encourage assimilation and understanding instead of radicalization and separation (on both sides). Teach people to believe they are British first and Muslim second. Show people that when they attack Britain they are only attacking themselves. Even then it's impossible to catch all of them, but that's the trade off you have to make if you want to live in a free state. You're still more likely to die by getting hit by a plane while walking down your street than getting killed by a terrorist, whether they are a Muslim terrorist, an Irish extremist, or a psychotic Pastafarian trying to strangle you with a wet noodle.

Re:Truly despicable

[Nidi62]

What does either of the above 2 events - both of which happened >50 years ago - have to do w/ immigration to the UK? The creation of Israel did not displace the Arabs, except for those who left on their own to become refugees in other Arab countries, not UK. The creation of India and Pakistan caused a carnage during the movement of Hindus from the Pakistans to India, but did nothing to cause major migration to the UK. So how are those 2 events relevant at all here?

The British, through the Balfour Declaration/the carving up of the Middle East along with the French following WWI and the partition of India essentially laid the groundwork for the present conditions in those countries, leading to fairly significant exoduses. Due to lingering linguistic and cultural familiarity, the logical place for most of these immigrants/refugees is England. Nothing we do today happens in a vacuum.

Re:Truly despicable

[AC-x]

So that would make the last "mass bombings and violence" over 10 years ago, so it would seem the answer to that question is that mass bombings and violence aren't a problem in the UK, and so these security laws are not only morally wrong but completely unnecessary too.

Hey, at least it's not the US

[captaindomon]

Nice to have the focus off the United States every once in a while. USA! USA!

Remind them that one day, their opposition can win

[Lord Kano]

During the Bush administration, I used to remind people of the dangers of giving too much power to the executive branch by reminding them that one day, another "Clinton" will have control.

During the Obama administration, I reminded people that one day, another "Bush" will have control.

Eventually, I'll remind people that another "Obama" or "Trump" will have control.

Never give anyone, even your allies, the kind of power you would fear in the hands of your enemies.

LK

Re:Thank you...

[stealth_finger]

If not muslims, the Irish, if not the Irish the Russians, if not Russians the Bogeymen.

They're keeping it secret

[Coisiche]

The news suppression must be in force.

No mention of it on the BBC website, but that's frequently the case if the government want something suppressed, the BBC is not the impartial news service that some people outside the UK think it is.

What's more annoying is that it has no mention of this on the bills before parliament site which shows the last action as Lords bouncing back to Commons.

But even if it's not actually law yet, it's going to be soon. There are just formalities left.

We all know its coming, don't we?

[Qbertino]

Seriously, we all know it's coming.

Eastern Europe, Erdogan, Putin, Le Pen, Frauke Petry, Donald Trump ... these are special effects, smoke & mirrors.
The real action happens when laws like this get passed or Tim Cook and his Silicon Valley Bros push for everything-as-a-service / 'ecosystem' and proprietary payment systems instead of cash.

You can read it in Aldous Huxleys work, and in William Gibsons and Neal Stephensons.

We are moving into an all-out full-blown cyperpunk society where anyone halfway free from 'the system' is a potential suspect or locked out of essential basics , only able to acquire them by semi-legal / grey-market means. A world where *everything* has a price-tag and you can't move without Big Brother watching you.

Tamper-free FOSS IT systems are becoming more and more exotic a concept while the brainwashed masses think Fakebook or Twotter is some sort of innovation over other services we've had for decades.

Basically we're smack in the middle of a cyberpunk society already.