Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
Despite loudly, and repeatedly, raised concerns from activists and members of Parliament, the UK's Snooper's Charter (a.k.a., Investigatory Powers bill [PDF]) has been passed by both parliamentary houses and only needs the formality of the royal signature to make it official.
[...] The government, of course, is trying to portray this as nothing more than a fine tuning of pre-existing laws, specifically the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). Glossed over in its perfunctory "nothing to see here" explanation is the fact that RIPA was also rushed into existence to codify other secret and illegal surveillance programs.
But it's no ordinary update of existing investigatory laws. Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group calls the Snooper's Charter "the most extreme surveillance law ever passed in a democracy." Thanks to the new powers, UK intelligence agencies should be able to put together very extensive dossiers on pretty much anyone they feel like.
Quick, Deucalion, run!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @11:53PM
The gummit will know the names of all of my socks when I talk to myself online?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @11:54PM
Your secret identity isn't secret anymore, Stupidman!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @11:56PM
Well this will make cybering with myself a little bit awkward.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @11:57PM
Better practice beating off in front of a mirror.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 19 2016, @01:37AM
Better practice beating off in front of a mirror.
Why a mirror? I can just FaceTime myself with my phone and my laptop.
(Score: 2) by fritsd on Saturday November 19 2016, @12:46PM
But then Theresa May can't see you!