What scares me is that we are in a slow process that is eroding our traditional freedoms and safeguards bit by bit, and most people don't notice. They also don't consider the long term implications of what is happening.
Last year, the UK government wanted to pass a law that would allow "terror suspects" to be imprisoned indefinitely with the approval of the Home Secretary, without charge. The suspect would not have been entitled to legal representation, or to hear the evidence against him/her. In other words, a politician could theoretically lock someone up for ever. Fortunately, in this particular case, the measure was watered down significantly before it became law and there is now a time limit (maybe 1 month?).
What is going to happen with all the data that will be available? All the data from number plate and facial recognition, credit cards purchases, web browsing history and phone records, travel arrangements etc. It will be too much for human staff at the security services to process and sort, so how long before the job is done by computer (if it isn't already)? How long for instance before certin individuals are selected for extra searchs every time they pass through an airport, because some pattern-matching software running at GCHQ decides they are a risk? Will there be any right to appeal, and indeed who will you appeal to?
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What scares me is that we are in a slow process that is eroding our traditional freedoms and safeguards bit by bit, and most people don't notice. They also don't consider the long term implications of what is happening. Last year, the UK government wanted to pass a law that would allow "terror suspects" to be imprisoned indefinitely with the approval of the Home Secretary, without charge. The suspect would not have been entitled to legal representation, or to hear the evidence against him/her. In other words, a politician could theoretically lock someone up for ever. Fortunately, in this particular case, the measure was watered down significantly before it became law and there is now a time limit (maybe 1 month?). What is going to happen with all the data that will be available? All the data from number plate and facial recognition, credit cards purchases, web browsing history and phone records, travel arrangements etc. It will be too much for human staff at the security services to process and sort, so how long before the job is done by computer (if it isn't already)? How long for instance before certin individuals are selected for extra searchs every time they pass through an airport, because some pattern-matching software running at GCHQ decides they are a risk? Will there be any right to appeal, and indeed who will you appeal to?