…the UK Government (or at least the Home Office, which is responsible for domestic security) seems to have finally lost all sense of proportion when it comes to Internet surveillance. Here is the main text of a fax I have just sent to my MP (using this handy site):
I am writing to tell you about a bizarre extension of Internet spying powers that the government seems to be trying to sneak past parliament. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act lets the police, customs and the intelligence services track people’s Internet use without a court order – this is bad enough. But now the Home Office is petitioning to enable a long list of other organizations to snoop as well, including all local authorities and even the post office – “A Universal Service Provider” in the text of the order. This is in the form of a statutory instrument “The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data: Additional Public Authorities) Order 2002”
Please let me know that you are indeed planning to oppose this and that you will be alerting other MPs to this disproportionate threat to personal liberties.
I appreciate the potential usefulness of Internet surveillance to fighting serious crime, so with some misgivings I was prepared to give the Government the benefit of the doubt when they unveiled the original act, but I can’t imagine why they believe that such a broad range of organizations should be entitled to know who I email and what sites I visit.
If you are in the UK I encourage you to read more about this issue and fax your MP, send them a letter or do whatever else is in your power to stop this misguided legislation.
Thanks to Simon, who nudged me to find out more about the issue.
