A one week emergency process to pass laws to fill the legal gap left behind by the striking down of the EU Data Retention Directive has resulted in the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill being passed in the House of Commons. The bill received support from all three major parties and was passed with a huge majority, despite criticism for the process and content of the bill:
"The government won a large majority of 387 on its proposed Commons timetable for the legislation, as MPs agreed by 436 votes to 49 to complete consideration of the bill in one day. MPs subsequently approved the general principles of the bill at second reading by 498 votes to 31, a government majority of 467. It later passed its third and final reading by a comparable margin of 416 votes."
During the very short lead time between the announcement of the bill and it's reading in the House of Commons, senior labour leadership expressed support for the content of the bill but reservations about the speed of the process. The Conservative MP David Davis made a speech in the House of Commons in which he also criticised the process, describing it as "entirely improper", likening it to "democratic banditry resonant of a rogue state", and accusing infighting between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat factions of the ruling coalition of causing the three month.
The legislation also drew fire from many civil liberties groups and commentators. The Open Rights Group post a scathing analysis of the bill criticising the emergency nature of the bill and asserting that the bill will significantly extend data retention scope and enforcement jurisdiction, to the contrary of previous assurances by Home Secretary Theresa May that the bill would closely replicate the powers of the withdrawn EU Data Retention Directive. Isabella Sankey, the Policy Director for Liberty commented on the group's blog that this was a closed-doors agreement between the party leaders designed to evade democratic oversight and pass legislation equivalent to the previously abandoned Draft Communications Data Bill, otherwise known as the "Snooper's Charter".
The bill has now moved on the House of Lords, where it must also be approved before it becomes law.
UPDATE 17-07-14: The bill has now cleared the House of Lords and is becoming law. The criticism to the timetable for passing it has resulted in the insertion into the bill by the opposition of a six-monthly requirement for the Interception of Communications Commissioner to report on usage of the powers granted and to ensure that "same as the EU DRD" does genuinely mean that. It also means the EU Court of Justice's assertion that the EU DRD "[entailed] a wide-ranging and particularly serious interference with the fundamental rights to respect for private life and to the protection of personal data, without that interference being limited to what is strictly necessary" now applies to this new law as well.
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New research (abstract) suggests that those in higher-level positions are more likely to make decisions that value security over privacy, and be more determined to carry out those decisions. In one experiment, people who were appointed supervisors showed a significant increase in their concern for security. The researchers also found that participants who were assigned a worker-level status expressed higher concern for privacy, but not significantly higher.
We find that a high-status assignment significantly increases security concerns. This effect is observable for two predefined sub-dimensions of security (i.e., personal and societal concerns) as well as for the composite measure. We find only weak support for an increase in the demand for privacy with a low-status manipulation.
Maybe this explains why the UK Government think their data retention law needed an emergency process.
The BBC News and CNN reports that:
UK police have arrested 660 suspected pedophiles -- including doctors, teachers and scout leaders -- in a six-month operation spanning the country, the National Crime Agency said Wednesday.
The operation -- which targeted people accessing indecent images of children online -- involved 45 police forces across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
More than 400 children across the United Kingdom have been protected from harm as a result, the National Crime Agency said in a statement.
Suspects include a doctor with more than one million images of child porn, and a foster parent. The arrests are allegedly unrelated to emergency snooping powers and separate pedophile scandals in three of the UK's major political parties.
from the tyrant dept.
UK Home Secretary Theresa May is favored to become the new leader of the Conservatives and the UK's next Prime Minister following a first round of voting, the elimination of Liam Fox, drop out of Stephen Crabb, and the earlier drop out of Boris Johnson:
Home Secretary Theresa May has comfortably won the first round of the contest to become the next Conservative leader and UK prime minister. Mrs May got 165 of the 329 votes cast by Tory MPs. Andrea Leadsom came second with 66 votes. Michael Gove got 48. [...] Further voting will narrow the field to two. The eventual outcome, decided by party members, is due on 9 September. Following the result, frontrunner Mrs May - who campaigned for the UK to stay in the EU - received the backing of Mr Fox, a former defence secretary and Brexit campaigner, and Mr Crabb, the work and pensions secretary, who backed Remain.
[...] Mrs May - who has said she will deliver Brexit if PM - said she was "pleased" with the result and "grateful" to colleagues for their support. She said there was a "big job" ahead to unite the party and the country following the referendum, to "negotiate the best possible deal as we leave the EU" and to "make Britain work for everyone". She added: "I am the only candidate capable of delivering these three things as prime minister, and tonight it is clear that I am also the only one capable of drawing support from the whole of the Conservative Party."
Update: The race to lead the Conservative Party and become the next Prime Minister of the UK is down to two women: Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom:
Some things in life are very predictable... the Earth continues to orbit around the Sun and Theresa May is trying to crack down on the Internet and ban/break encryption:
In the wake of Saturday's terrorist attack in London, the Prime Minister Theresa May has again called for new laws to regulate the internet, demanding that internet companies do more to stamp out spaces where terrorists can communicate freely. "We cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed," she said. "Yet that is precisely what the internet and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide."
Her comments echo those made in March by the home secretary, Amber Rudd. Speaking after the previous terrorist attack in London, Rudd said that end-to-end encryption in apps like WhatsApp is "completely unacceptable" and that there should be "no hiding place for terrorists".
[...] "Theresa May's response is predictable but disappointing," says Paul Bernal at the University of East Anglia, UK. "If you stop 'safe places' for terrorists, you stop safe places for everyone, and we rely on those safe places for a great deal of our lives."
Last month New Scientist called for a greater understanding of technology among politicians. Until that happens, having a reasonable conversation about how best to tackle extremism online will remain out of reach.
End-to-end encryption is completely unacceptable? Now that's what I call an endorsement.
[more...]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 16 2014, @10:48PM
,,,and a lot of whips..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 16 2014, @11:39PM
I thought the Lords went in for the kinky stuff more, and the Commons for cold, hard cash.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 16 2014, @11:59PM
There might be a chance to whip the House of Commons back into shape while giving the House of Lords pause for thought. Of course if the Brits don't think that will work, then perhaps it might be wise to borrow a sharper idea from the French to be ready for every one to lose their heads over passage of it in House of Lords.
All the governments are terribly kinky these days, what with all their voyeurism and all.
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Thursday July 17 2014, @09:06AM
It's a strange situation where many of our civil liberties are now only being effectively preserved by the conservatism of the crusty old unelected gits in the Lords, while the elected commons strips us of our rights, but that's the way it's been in the last 10 or 15 years. I used to be a staunch opponent of the Lords, but now I see them as absolutely critical to the future of this country.
(Score: 2) by MrGuy on Wednesday July 16 2014, @11:36PM
...no one.
(Score: 2) by davester666 on Thursday July 17 2014, @07:55AM
but unless I know everyone you have phoned, texted, emailed, or spoken to in person, how will I know you aren't a terrorist?
I will just have to assume you are one, until you can prove otherwise.
(Score: 2) by The Archon V2.0 on Thursday July 17 2014, @04:02PM
If you've done nothing wrong you've got nothing to fear. If you've something to hide you shouldn't even be here.
- PSB, "Integral".
(Score: 2) by mojo chan on Thursday July 17 2014, @07:37AM
Am I the only one who noticed that they decided this week was a good time to reveal a six month round of arrests of paedophiles, the implication being that the internet is dangerous and must be monitored so data retention is a good thing? It's pretty sickening when they use child abuse for political leverage.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
(Score: 1) by wantkitteh on Thursday July 17 2014, @08:56AM
I also noticed that story on the way home from work, the BBC are reporting 69 suspected paedophiles arrested, [bbc.co.uk] and 600+ other related arrests in order to safeguard 400 children. I know someone who was sexually abused as a child, she's a very dear friend of mine and I'd like to say to the police "Bravo!"
However, the timing of this announcement is suspicious and it's connection to data retention dubious. For those who are unaware, or just hadn't made the connection, the UK is in the middle of the biggest child abuse witch hunt, ever since it became public knowledge that Jimmy Saville [wikipedia.org] was a predatory paedophile and all-round disgusting human being. I would suspect the overwhelming quantity of evidence used to secure these convictions came from the avalanche of victim testimony that has been pouring in police forces all around the country relating to child abuse crimes committed over the last 50+ years. The link between these arrests and data retention is at best extremely tenuous, at worst political fear-mongering.
(Score: 1) by pgc on Thursday July 17 2014, @08:06AM
And what was the emergency?
(Score: 2) by lhsi on Thursday July 17 2014, @08:35AM
They hadn't done anything for a couple of weeks and needed to do something now as they were running out of some for something.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by wantkitteh on Thursday July 17 2014, @09:00AM
The emergency is that Parliament is closing for the summer, starting 22nd July and returning 1st September. "Can't have another month and a half of illegal data retention on top of the three we've already had, declare an emergency!"
*shrugs* Yeah, there really isn't one except this limp excuse they've manufactured by arguing behind closed doors for last 12 weeks instead of doing their jobs.
(Score: 1) by wantkitteh on Thursday July 17 2014, @09:16AM
The BBC are reporting [bbc.co.uk] on the discussions in the House of Lords so far. They're scheduled to decide today the final outcome of the bill and the debate so far has been promising. I've been listening to some of it live and the absence of rhetoric and non-partisan manner of discussion are extremely encouraging.
I wish I'd had time to hear more of it - it would have been great to hear Baroness Lane-Fox [wikipedia.org], one of the most experienced and qualified people that's commented on this farce:
I'd trade almost anything for the chance to go back in time, stand up on the floor on the House of Lords after she said that, point at her and say "What she said!"