Govt monitoring web use

[Empusa]

Article

What the hell is the use of this? It seems a particularly stupid way of "protecting" us from criminals

They're asking service providers to keep records which is not the same things as monitoring web use. When you make a phone call a record is kept, not of the conversation but the time and duration of the call. We all accept this as normal. When you use Skype or similar, no record is kept except in your hard drive. If the police want to check a suspect's internet usage, they have to seize their computer.... relatively difficult. If they want to check who they've been calling, they just ask the phone company.

It is a form of monitoring. And I don't think many people do accept the retention of phone call details as normal for police use. They accept it as normal for billing and commercial purposes, they don't really think about it as a crime fighting tool.

People would be quite horrified at the idea of having their movements recorded just in case it might be useful to the police at some point. I don't see why we shouldn't be just as concerned about our contacts being recorded.

Organizations generally (government, charitable and commercial) have a pitiful history on protecting people's privacy.

I find it incredibly interesting how when in opposition, the Tories opposed this and now they are in power it's a good idea.

What happened Dave?

One of the many problems with this is that, like your credit rating, you will never know just what information is held about you, nor when it is looked at or who looks at it or what it is used for.

If you were working in the local tax office and your neighbour's name came up on your screen, would you a) ignore it, b) just get the information you need for tax purposes, or would you also c) look at the websites they have visited and their Facebook page? Then what would you do with the information? Maybe this is what the government intends - that we should police ourselves.

But also the fact that you had not visited any suspicious websites could be latched upon by the Defence in court as evidence that you are not a terrorist/paedophile, when in fact you are.

So many ways in which this could be misused, abused - so much scope for human error, even without malice.