V for Vendetta coming alive; UK plans giant database for all electronical communication
So, this blog has been in hibernation lately, but this piece of news was just too much for me to not write about.
We all know how happy the UK is about CCTV, but apparently they are now planning something very similar to China’s Golden Shield Project; that is a humongous database meant to tap all electronical communication in the country. This surpasses the Swedish FRA-law by miles, and the implications on personal integrity and freedom will be very dire. I can’t help but think of V for Vendetta.
How does the fight against terrorism justify a development towards a more and more totalitarian state? Let’s face the fact, the so called terrorists are winning the fight without even lifting a finger any longer. We’re having the work cut out for them.
~ by koeus on August 20, 2008.
Posted in politics
Tags: database, democracy, FRA, freedom, news, personal integrity, spying, surveillance, terrorism, UK, United Kingdom, V for Vendetta
Terrorists exists, they realy do! REALY!…
Your blog has…like died. Why is that?
*points to blog post predecessing this one*
Fine, I just thought you would post a bit more often than every second month
This one is getting similar to a certain blog I know that died due to lack of Bostonian activity.
i seriously doubt this law if implemented will be legal because 1) it may probably conflict with the statute on human rights 1998 2) it may conflict with the common law. the brits are not afraid of getting a lawsuit against the state on questions of human rights, and judges tend to be more on the side of personal integrity…
if you take the example of the terrorist laws which they passed after 9/11, some people who have been affected have taken the matter to court only to have the judgement that the laws conflicted with the human rights act and therefore were inapplicable.
Quite frankly I’d be surprised if it wasn’t implemented, for several reasons. 1) From what I’ve read, the law is marching ever closer to being passed, seemingly without all too much resistance. 2) The UK is already one of the world’s biggest violator against personal integrity, so this would be just along those lines. 3) Several similar laws have already been passed not only in the UK, but in other countries as well (look at the Swedish FRA-law for example, which, while perhaps not quite as extreme, still could be rather clearly considered in violation of the human rights you refer to). 4) I believe the law is based on an EU-directive, although going a lot farther than necessary.