Posted on 11/09/2009 3:37:14 PM PST by bruinbirdman
All telecoms companies and internet service providers will be required by law to keep a record of every customer's personal communications, showing who they are contacting, when, where and which websites they are visiting.
Despite widespread opposition over Britain's growing surveillance society, 653 public bodies will be given access to the confidential information, including police, local councils, the Financial Services Authority, the Ambulance Service, fire authorities and even prison governors.
They will not require the permission of a judge or a magistrate to access the information, but simply the authorisation of a senior police officer or the equivalent of a deputy head of department at a local authority.
Ministers had originally wanted to store the information on a massive Government-run database, but chose not to because of privacy concerns.
However the Government announced yesterday it was pressing ahead with privately-held "Big Brother" databases which opposition leaders said amount to "state-spying" and a form of "covert surveillance" on the public.
It is doing so despite its own consultation showing there is little public support for the plans.
The Home Office admitted that only a third of respondents to its six-month consultation on the issue supported its proposals, with 50 per cent fearing that the scheme lacked sufficient safeguards to protect the highly personal data from abuse.
The new law will increase the amount of personal data which can be accessed by officials through the controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), which is supposed to be used for combatting terrorism.
Although most private firms already hold details of every customer's private calls and emails for their own business purposes, most only do so on an ad hoc basis and only for a period of several months.
The new rules, known as the Intercept Modernisation Programme, will not only force communication companies
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
What was the PBS miniseries last fall about a superdatabase in Britain supposedly to counter terrorism, where every person’s every move, computer access, credit card swipe, pass through a tollbooth, etc was tracked 24 hours a day, it was very dark. When the main character figured out what was going on, he tried to stop it, then was forcefully cut off the grid. the govt was able to instantly cut off all his access to his bank accounts, ATM, credit cards, electricity, cell phone, everything was all interlinked.
Sounds like that oppressive society has become a reality in Britain now.
Seems to me that encryption is the only option...
It’s time like this when “Vendetta” was would come in handy.
Well at least they arent targeting terrorists.
Most commerical encryption programs are useless when it comes to the govt.
Bwaaaahaaaaaahaaaaaaa! Somewhere deep in the bowels of Ft. Meade, a techno geek surrounded by acres and acres of super computers and ultrawideband links to EVERY comm frequency on this earth (and off) is laughing his geeky little ass off!
You know? I think you’re exactly onto something! I mean when we REALLY get down to it with plotting against the [you know who - insert the phrase that cannot be mentioned for fear of listeners], we should all just change our names to Islamic sounding surnames, or forenames, shit however the terrorists go by....
What about passenger pigeons?
I bet that is a booming busing, or one could say its really taken flight recently.
Are you referring to using commerical encryption or to my comment.
No, I agreed with your comment. The government won’t allow any commercial encryption to hit the market (at least from the US) that they can’t break. For those overseas or uncontrolled sources, they have the acres of computers and geeks to deal with... YOU WERE RIGHT!
Mostly they don’t have to break them as they have the source code and know how they work. Some have backdoors built in.
The vast majority of encryption is done using well known algorithms. Those geeky kids have all the tools they need to do a brute force if necessary.
I’ve watched a developer from China break 3DES 256k. Thats the standard for most financial institutions and many govt agencies.
Won't remain "confidential" for long.
Well, I was going to leave a little mystery to it but you’re right. Never
ever think anything you do electronically can’t be compromised.
“Well, I was going to leave a little mystery to it but you’re right”
Our enemies know, its just the general public.
653 agencies have access to the information without a judges approval, but storing the informatin in a government-run database raises privacy concerns?
George Orwell just got his date wrong; otherwise, he called it perfectly.
This same cr@p is coming to the US eventually; bet the farm on it.
All telecoms companies and internet service providers will be required by law to keep a record of every customer's personal communications, showing who they are contacting, when, where and which websites they are visiting.How does this work with anonomizing proxies?
Or, how about a bit-torent style anonomizing proxy system where we each anonomize for the world (bit torent style)?
Bring down the Muslims by co-opting their Teflon status due to political correctness?
Hasan Gaffer Abdulah
Been teasing the youngsters who visit my store and can’t figure out how to open the flip note pads...that it is an old fashioned text messaging system.
Who knew it might one day come in real handy.
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