Government to monitor your emails, texts and web use

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Original post by original_username

Well don't make a sarcastic/ ironic post about starting riot on any social networking site. You'll end up in front of a magistrate in no time :wink:

I'm surprised people even get to see a court on their way to prison nowadays.

Reply 21

Darren-M

Original post by TheHistoryStudent

The thing is, when you consider the vast amount of information people send and recieve via e-mail, text, and internet searches, most of it is going to be innocent harmless stuff anyway - I can't possibly understand how simply monitoring everyone is going to be an efficient way of combatting the things it's supposed to combat - serious crime and terrorism.

- *chuckles*, and check out the bottom of the article:-

"The shadow home secretary at the time, Chris Grayling, said the government had "built a culture of surveillance which goes far beyond counter terrorism and serious crime"."

Riiiight, so all of this security legislation has suddenly sprung up whilst the big evil coalition government has been in power, rather than during the last 13 years under labour which saw massive changes such as 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan, and various big terrorist attacks in the west. The hypocrisy of contemporary politics stinks.

EDIT: - ha, and this too :smile:

(from the comments) - "That most people seem to not be able to tell if this is an April fools or a real government plan really sums up British politics"

Agreed, and I don't really think there would be issues with this if it required warrants for everything (despite how easily those are authorised), but giving an intelligence agency which for most intents and purposes is outside of generic law enforcement (and not even under the control of the Home Office) this sort of power is baffling. Only requiring a warrant to see what type of pizza you're delivering is kinda irrelevant if they don't need a warrant to see where the pizza is going and how long it'll take to get there.

I would assume though that they wouldn't be monitoring everyone - the sort of resources required to do that would be mind-boggling. But the fact that the law would give them the legality of monitoring everyone is something that I am not comfortable with. I do agree that politics is hypocritical but I hope it continues to be so for the near future precisely so it ensures most bills always receive some opposition. I would assume the majority of the public would be against these changes but it needs opposition within parliament too.

Reply 22

cera ess six

Original post by fourdigit

if they did, you wouldn't be here :wink:

I mean like I thought they could access all that if they are investigating a suspect.

Reply 23

RyanT

Original post by electriic_ink

Of course, this is all for our own protection :rolleyes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17576745

Do a tractert to www.google.com and then whois every IP on that list. If you get one near Harrogate you're already being tracked.

Reply 24

RollerBall

I feel bad for the people who have to sit there and read the **** I post.

You're not going to get much job satisfaction reading lame emails to girlfriend, spam about how to make my penis bigger and amusing cat chain letters are you? Especially when you signed up to "fight terrorism".

Reply 25

LETSJaM

Original post by TheHistoryStudent

Wait... this isn't some really really bad April Fools prank by the BBC is it?...

Well it is April 1st...

<3 x

Reply 26

asmaamahamud

no privacy at all what so ever?!!?
ain't that illegal?

Reply 27

TheGreatReformer

Original post by Guitarded

Nothing to see here. Move along. Go shopping.

It's watch TV now and go drinking.

Reply 28

Howbeit

Yup, it's definitely time to move country.

Reply 29

Guitarded

Original post by RobertWhite

Yup, it's definitely time to move country.

To where, may I ask? :biggrin:

The whole worlds ****ed

Reply 30

hamijack

Well, they're going to be seeing a ****load of porn then.

Reply 31

HellOnHighHeels

If they start stealing my jokes/copying my Tweets there's gonna be hell to pay.

Reply 32

BoringComputerGuy

The sad thing is that people with genuinely bad intentions will find ways to circumvent these measures, and it will be the non tech savy majority left having their civil liberties eroded in the name of anti terrorism.

Reply 33

translucent

I'm going to look like a terrorist if they look at my internet history from all the research I've been doing for my EPQ :colondollar:

Reply 34

BoringComputerGuy

Original post by mangoh

Edit: must be a april fools prank as none of the other top news sites has published a similar story

#fail

Here you go: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/expansion-of-gchq-internet-monitoring-proposed-7606489.html

Reply 35

Danen

So if I want to know more about Muslim terrorism and google about it, I can expect the police on my door? lovely.

Maybe, April fools?

Original post by Guitarded

They won't be monitoring everyone, they'll have a list of people who pose a 'threat' (possibly because they're dissidents, etc). These people who also likely be stopped every time they check in at an airport.

Exactly... Why has everybody in this thread ignored the part that says that police will need a warrant to view such data?

It's merely a remote version of what can already be done anyway (physical seizure of hard drives). If anything this will just save time/money...

Reply 38

Martyn*

This 'war on terror' stuff brought to you by New World Order politicians of the West is another one of their hobgoblins.

Reply 39

BoringComputerGuy

Original post by Barden

Exactly... Why has everybody in this thread ignored the part that says that police will need a warrant to view such data?

Because this is still an invasion of privacy: "Although GCHQ would not be able to access the content of such communications without a warrant, the legislation would enable it to trace people individuals or groups are in contact with, and how often and for how long they are in communication."