posted
The UK government has proposed a bill that would store in a huge database all web, email, and phone access in Britain.
The implication seem to be that they would not just record that so-and-so called such-an-such at a particular time on a particular day, but would indeed record the entire conversation.
Although many think this is just wishful thinking on the part of the 'Home Office'. Several speculate that the creators of this Bill have no idea of the volume of resources it would take to store and manage such a huge volume of information.
Further, the government in the UK doesn't have the best track record of managing large volumes of data and protecting the privacy of the individuals in the database.
Again, allegedly, the data would only be held for something like a year, and would need a warrant to access. But if the data is there, then there really is nothing to stop certain privileged individuals from accessing at will.
My question is, who's watching the watchers? Government officials are not the most moral or trustworthy people, as many many recent scandals in the UK have proven.
If they can have a database of the citizen's communication with access by the government, then I think it only fair that the Members of Parliament and upper government official should have all their communication in a database accessible by the public. I mean, after all, if they have nothing to hide, then what's the problems?
This seems to be, in my opinion, tied in with the every more expensive and every more pointless desire by the government in the UK and the USA to implement a universal bio-metric ID system.
Just looking for comments.
Posts: 803 | Registered: May 2006
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posted
Any time this sort of thing is proposed, the government should be the first test case, and that should include all personal and private information for a year.
If they're comfortable with that, and feel that their private, top secret communications are safe in said data store, only then can it be considered for public use.
Posts: 3950 | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
Well, that this is being introduced in the legislature belies the fact that Mi-5 and Mi-6 have been trampling the rights of British subjects with absolute impunity since their creation.
Posts: 9912 | Registered: Nov 2005
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