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Snoopers Charter becomes law


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Britain has passed the 'most extreme surveillance law ever passed in a democracy'

 

The law forces UK internet providers to store browsing histories -- including domains visited -- for one year, in case of police investigations.

 

Zack Whittaker

By Zack Whittaker for Zero Day | November 17, 2016 -- 08:00 GMT (08:00 GMT) | Topic: Security

 

The UK has just passed a massive expansion in surveillance powers, which critics have called "terrifying" and "dangerous".

 

Britain has passed the 'most extreme surveillance law ever passed in a democracy'

 

The new law, dubbed the "snoopers' charter", was introduced by then-home secretary Theresa May in 2012, and took two attempts to get passed into law following breakdowns in the previous coalition government.

 

Four years and a general election later -- May is now prime minister -- the bill was finalized and passed on Wednesday by both parliamentary houses.

 

But civil liberties groups have long criticized the bill, with some arguing that the law will let the UK government "document everything we do online".

 

It's no wonder, because it basically does.

 

The law will force internet providers to record every internet customer's top-level web history in real-time for up to a year, which can be accessed by numerous government departments; force companies to decrypt data on demand -- though the government has never been that clear on exactly how it forces foreign firms to do that that; and even disclose any new security features in products before they launch.

 

 

Not only that, the law also gives the intelligence agencies the power to hack into computers and devices of citizens (known as equipment interference), although some protected professions -- such as journalists and medical staff -- are layered with marginally better protections.

 

In other words, it's the "most extreme surveillance law ever passed in a democracy," according to Jim Killock, director of the Open Rights Group.

 

The bill was opposed by representatives of the United Nations, all major UK and many leading global privacy and rights groups, and a host of Silicon Valley tech companies alike.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/article/snoopers-charter-expansive-new-spying-powers-becomes-law/

 

The Home Office, the department responsible for the law, has said the provisions listed within it are needed to help protect the country's national security

 

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/ip-bill-law-details-passed

 

https://twitter.com/rj_gallagher/status/798995894796324864

 

:(

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:lol: we have joined an activity only being carried out by Russia and China. That should say it all.

 

Inevitable though, Theresa has always wanted to put this through.

 

Wonder if it'll actually be useful...

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People probably think that the striking miners or junior doctors had/have nothing to hide either. Opposition MP's will have nothing that should be outside of government view. Anti war protesters, environmentalists and that. None of them should be able to have any privacy.

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Jeremy Corbyn, in his column for the Morning Star, denounced the extension of state surveillance rushed through parliament two years ago, describing it as a “travesty of parliamentary democracy” and praising Liberty (then run by Shami Chakrabarti) for lobbying MPs to oppose it.

 

He abstained on this vote.

 

Principled?

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I'd be interested to hear his reasoning. It's not like this is one of those things that is likely to decide mass public support, and with that in mind, I'm curious as to his thinking.

Edited by Rayvin
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I'd be interested to hear his reasoning. It's not like this is one of those things that is likely to decide mass public support, and with that in mind, I'm curious as to his thinking.

He'd get hammered for letting child pornographers and terrorists go about their business. But being a man of principle he should have been ready to answer that criticism.

 

He's reversing the one positive he has as leader of the opposition and alternative for people sick of political manoeuvering from leaders.

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He'd get hammered for letting child pornographers and terrorists go about their business. But being a man of principle he should have been ready to answer that criticism.

 

He's reversing the one positive he has as leader of the opposition and alternative for people sick of political manoeuvering from leaders.

I don't think that scans though given that the Labour line up until quite recently was to oppose this. Something must have flipped their view.

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I don't think that scans though given that the Labour line up until quite recently was to oppose this. Something must have flipped their view.

They wanted amendments from Leveson included in the charter to target the press.

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I need to start backing away from most of the shit I've said before I get in trouble. To any of the pussies on here who I've misgendered: sorry, faggots.

Given the recent Twitter move, it could conceivably start being used for stuff like that. The establishment is cracking down ;)

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I pity the poor sod looking through my internet history.

 

"boring, boring, boring, OH MY GOD THATS DISUSTING!"

:lol:

 

I'm ambivalent about the storage of search histories but who has access to this and how it is done should be a judicial process. May hates the judiciary though so this is bad news, very concerning, along with the gig economy comments made by Green yesterday. We do seem to be heading to a dystopian future, yet many just think its BAMFU.

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:lol:

 

I'm ambivalent about the storage of search histories but who has access to this and how it is done should be a judicial process. May hates the judiciary though so this is bad news, very concerning, along with the gig economy comments made by Green yesterday. We do seem to be heading to a dystopian future, yet many just think its BAMFU.

 

I mean, the thought that anyone could think we were BAMFU following the referendum was laughable at the time - it's just beyond depressing now.

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I don't think that scans though given that the Labour line up until quite recently was to oppose this. Something must have flipped their view.

 

You say that as if they actually think about and coordinate this stuff. See also https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/nov/18/brexit-row-keir-starmer-john-mcdonnell-threatens-labour-truce?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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:lol: You're quite possibly right about that.

 

I saw the row thing earlier this morning as well. McDonnell going off message again by the sounds of things, although it's also tedious in the extreme to hear that there are yet more internal squabbles surfacing.

 

If they aren't thinking about coherent and credible strategies at this point then they really are fucked. Although with that said, the Tories are doing the exact same thing so who knows, maybe we're in a post-strategy era.

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