British citizens will soon have their personal computers scrutinized by the police at any given time under new plans on electronic surveillance from the European Union council of ministers. According to The Times, police will not need a warrant to do so either and to add further fury, Ministers are also drawing up plans to allow police across the EU to collect information from computers in Britain. Material gathered includes all e-mails, web-browsing habits and instant messaging ‘chats’.
Hacking has been quietly adopted by police across Britain, saying it is vital for tracking cyber-criminals and paedophiles and is used sparingly but civil liberties groups are very concerned.
“These are very intrusive powers, as intrusive as someone busting down your door and coming into your home. The public will want this to be controlled by new legislation and judicial authorisation. Without those safeguards it’’s a devastating blow to any notion of personal privacy,” the paper quoted Shami Chakrabati, Director of Liberty, as saying.
In this day and age, ‘Freedom’ is a very difficult ideal to define. Freedom in the UK is of course very different to what someones definition is in China. However, the fact that your personal computer, probably one of the most personal items in ones home, can be subjected to search at any given time without the requirement of warrant…crosses the line, irrespective of nation or culture.
It’s a scary thought because we seem to be moving into a world with no privacy. Others might say, “If you have nothing to hide, why do you care?” A computer is sacred. It’s like a diary that you don’t want your parents to read, even if you aren’t trying to hide anything.
Erich Mielke remembrance Award:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Mielke#Tenure_as_Stasi_head
Idiotic politicians. Law distinguished between privacy sphere, privat sphere and public sphere.
As Shevonne said before – computers are like diaries these day and a diary is included in the privacy sphere – which is nearly untouchable. Especially in absence of a judicial decree.
Buerocracy costs for this useless crap legislation: Billions.
Time until the European Court of Justice will fix this crap: Years.
Congratulations.
When will those idiots finally learn, that Privacy and civil rights the main distinctive point between “us” and those rogue regimes on tv?
Well – besides that tv is also crap ;-)
What is wrong with UK??
First, they want to rate every website like movies, now they hack into people’s computers without warrant…
More and more the states are going to take control and scrutinize everything… it seems Orwell will be right in the end and there won’t be any difference between these states and other so-called “dictatorial” states from around the world (the label will be the only difference – democracy and dictatoships…the means of running them will be the same in the end).
IT’s especially scary because it’s at EU level. So coming to a jurisdiction near you.
Also being at that level means it’s way more difficult to make anyone do anything about it.
We need to be wary of these kinds of things so that future generations do not end up in an Orwellian nightmare.
there’s a UK version of the Patriot Act?
I couldn’t agree with you more Shevonne.