Security my Arse. It’s about control.

A while ago I wrote to my MP regarding the Governments latest security initiative of putting a bill through parliament to force service providers of telecommunications to record usage figures. Usage figures defined, whether E-mail, landline telephone, mobile phone, to record, when the call or email was made, where it was from, and who it was to.

My MP duly wrote back (In hard copy snail mail), that he had passed my concerns onto the Parliamentary under Secretary for Crime and Security.

Yesterday I received a reply back from my MP with a letter from the PuS for Crime and Security.

The letter was a classic in “political round the houses speak and not really tell you the truth”.

Firstly I take issue at this.

No it doesn’t include the what, but it means that the PTB can track every electronic move you make. What’s even more worrying is “Communications data is collected and securely stored by private sector communications industry providers”.

Eventually someone in one of those private companies is going to succumb to greed and sell the data on. Some company would love to know who you phone, email, who you shop with, where you are at any given time, etc. In other words they will be able to build a complete profile of you. That’s why I don’t have loyalty cards. Much to Mrs FE’s disgust. My life is private.

Oh no it’s not.

The same PUS then goes onto pontificating that we are protected under the Regulatory of Investigative Powers Act. (RIPA). Well we all know how that has been abused. Every man and his dog seems to be able to invade your home when ever they please under the flimsiest excuse.

Who can enter your property under RIPA

Just a few instances.

Of course finally our PUS states that his duty is to protect the public from those who would like to kill us.

This last little paragraph intrigues me, where he writes “We wish to maintain  a capacity not increase it”. Maybe I’m stupid, but the very act of this bill if it is passed, will of course increase the capacity to spy on us.

Anyway. Don’t blame me if your door is kicked in, in the middle of the night because you sent an e mail to a hypnotist who was un-registered.

A reply from the bubble.

The Westminster bubble that is.

I posted the below paragraph translated into Afrikaans (My son’s partner is fluent in the language. Hi Rialette), into a post at the beginning of the month, in reaction to this article in the Mail.

The Coalition is reviving Labour's ill-fated scheme to snoop on all British citizens online – despite the fact that it was opposed by Liberal Democrats and Conservatives when in Opposition.

All conversations over the Internet and e-mails can be recorded if the government is planning a massive expansion in surveillance.
The coalition is reviving Labour's ill-fated scheme to snoop on all UK citizens online - despite the fact that it was opposed by liberal and conservative while in opposition.
Internet service providers will be required to keep records of all e-mail messages on social networking sites and talks about Skype.
The content of the calls or messages will be recorded, but the authorities will have a court order to obtain if they want to hear or read the contents.
However, the police and security will be able to access details of the communication between and what time they occur without a court order demanding.

In the mail when I returned home today I found that I had received a reply to a letter that I had penned to my MP, about the above.

Dear Mr Filthy Engineer,

many thanks for your letter of April 3 letting me know of your concerns about the Government’s policy on surveillance.

My understanding is that the Government may be back tracking on the proposals put forward. I am nonetheless going to put your concerns directly to the Home Secretary whom I have asked for the latest position as far as the Government is concerned on it’s proposals in this important area.

I shall be writing to you again when I receive this reply.

I wonder what the further letter will hold.

 

I’m glad I’m now able to post from a computer rather than a smart phone.