Theresa May | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 28 Nov 2016 12:15:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Theresa May | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Investigatory Powers repeal petition reaches 119,000 signatures https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/investigatory-powers-repeal-petition-reaches-119000-signatures/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/investigatory-powers-repeal-petition-reaches-119000-signatures/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2016 12:15:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=313227 An online petition demanding that the UK government repeal the newly installed surveillance laws made possible by the Investigatory Powers Bill has now passed the threshold for debate in parliament. It needed at least 100,000 signatures, but has continued on since then and is closing on on 120,000 at the time of writing. The Investigatory …

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An online petition demanding that the UK government repeal the newly installed surveillance laws made possible by the Investigatory Powers Bill has now passed the threshold for debate in parliament. It needed at least 100,000 signatures, but has continued on since then and is closing on on 120,000 at the time of writing.

The Investigatory Powers Bill is a piece of legislation that mandated the collection of “internet connection records,” or the top-level browsing history of every British citizen at the IP level, as well as mass hacking of citizen hardware if required by a criminal investigation. These are measures that many members of the public are hugely concerned by and campaigned against it, but the bill passed through parliament with only perfunctory amendments.

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Recently appointed PM, Theresa May had been driving the IPB forward for years before her recent promotion. Source: PolyExchange/Flickr

To try and combat that, opponents of the bill and its legal measures have been driving up the official petition and it's certainly been effective. It quickly passed the 10,000 signatures required for the standing government to issue an official response to the petition and now by passing the 100,000 mark it will be considered for debate in parliament.

Considering there wasn't much in the way of opposition by politicians of either major party, it seems unlikely that any debate would be too favourable, but it's hoped that with the outpouring of support for the petition and some of the negative press surrounding the bill, it will help change politician's minds.

It's not the only petition that's been gaining traction recently either. Privacy focused Open Rights Group has generated more than 10,800 signatures for its anti-Digital Economy Bill petition.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The UK is swimming with anti-privacy/freedom online legislation at the moment. Despite its generally liberal, western ideals, it now has some of the most unrestricted surveillance laws in the world. 

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Another parliamentary committee has attacked the IP bill https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/another-parliamentary-committee-has-attacked-the-ip-bill/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/another-parliamentary-committee-has-attacked-the-ip-bill/#respond Mon, 20 Jun 2016 11:15:08 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=296660 The Investigatory Powers Bill is something that almost no one has approved of since its first announcement, with repeated debates and analysis heralding many concerns and problems, few of which have been rectified. Now the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee has raised its own issues with the bill, citing the potential for hacks as …

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The Investigatory Powers Bill is something that almost no one has approved of since its first announcement, with repeated debates and analysis heralding many concerns and problems, few of which have been rectified. Now the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee has raised its own issues with the bill, citing the potential for hacks as a major concern.

One of the most disliked aspects of the Investigatory Powers Bill is that it legalises and mandates the collection of “internet connection records,” which amounts to the browsing history of every internet user. If this bill were enacted, ISPs would need to store this data for up to 12 months, should the police or government require it for any reason.

That's the part that the CMS has real difficulty with. Citing a 2015 hack of ISP Talk Talk, it highlighted how the data records of every British web user's internet history could create a real trove of information for hackers. That information storage not only increases the risk of hackers gaining access to it, but may even encourage them to try harder to acquire it.

“The vulnerability of additional pooled data is an important concern that needs to be addressed urgently by the government,” it stated (via TechCrunch).

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Theresa May has been the driving force behind the IPB for years. Source: Policy Exchange/Flickr

At the very least, the committee wants to see the government introduce new protections for this sort of information, limiting who has access to it and making sure that it's heavily protected.

Other groups like the Information Commissioner's Office have gone further in their recommendations though. It previously highlighted similar concerns and has suggested the data not be recorded in the first place.

Whether either report will have much impact on the bill though remains to be seen. The government has shown little interest in rectifying the concerns of committees, experts and politicians, and even managed to receive some Labour support after making mostly superficial changes to the bill.

Other organisations from Human Rights campaigners to tech companies have opposed the bill. It comes at an interesting time too, since an encryption debate in the U.S., headed by Apple's sparring with the FBI in the courts, has led to a new enshrining of encryption and privacy in some sectors.

The UK seems to be going in the other direction entirely.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's so frustrating that the government can have these committees comment on the bill, only to not listen to their recommendations. It makes them seem completely redundant. 

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Investigatory Powers Bill passes without a hitch https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/labour-gives-soft-support-for-investigatory-powers-bill/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/labour-gives-soft-support-for-investigatory-powers-bill/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2016 08:20:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=295282 Update: Following a vote in the House of Commons, MPs have passed the Investigatory Powers Bill with a majority of 444 to 69. With backing from both Labour and the Conservatives, the opposition from the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and the Scottish National Party failed to make much of a difference. Although several amendments to …

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Update: Following a vote in the House of Commons, MPs have passed the Investigatory Powers Bill with a majority of 444 to 69. With backing from both Labour and the Conservatives, the opposition from the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and the Scottish National Party failed to make much of a difference.

Although several amendments to the bill were proposed prior to the vote, none were passed, despite calls to better define its wording and to require reasonable suspicion before spying on someone.

The bill will now be passed on to the House of Lords where it will be voted on again in short order.

Original Story: Following what it described as home secretary Theresa May meeting ‘significant demands' it had about privacy protections with the Investigatory Powers Bill, Labour has ‘in principle' supported the piece of snooping legislation. It claimed that the bill could now support both security and human rights after these changes were made.

Along with the SNP, Labour has been an opponent of the Investigatory Powers Bill for some time, abstaining from a vote on it earlier this year in protest of its lack of oversight, lack of privacy provisions and its loose wording. The SNP also abstained at that time and many organisations, including the Open Rights Group have protested its mere existence.

While the Conservatives have made some changes to the bill though, enough it seems to garner Labour's loose support, many of the most worrying aspects have yet to be addressed. The provision that intelligence agencies could hack hardware on a mass scale is still present, as is Theresa May's ability to bypass the warrant system in 'emergencies.'

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Source: UK Home Office

That said, Labour did help instigate an independent review of the bill, which is set to take place within the next three months during the bill's passage through the House of Lords. However that may not be as encouraging as supporters hope, as several bodies have now analysed the bill, finding hundreds of problems with it and only a handful have even been addressed.

Indeed, the reason the SNP refuses to back the bill is because so many of its concerns and proposed amendments have not been considered by the government. It also criticised the way the bill was being rushed through parliament in an attempt to enact it before proper debate could take place.

“We're not going to get a chance to vote on more than half of these amendments,” said SNP home affairs spokesperson, Joanna Cherry. She went on to state that less than 10 amendments would be considered because of time restraints. “It’s not the way to legislate,” she said (via Ars).

Of those amendments that were debated, many were rejected, including the introduction of an IPB oversight commission, protections for whistle blowers and requiring “reasonable suspicion,” before a warrant can be issued.

The MPs will continue to debate the bill today, before it heads to the house of lords.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's amazing that under the IPB, police and intelligence agencies don't even need to suspect you of a crime to be able to hack your devices apart. It's so disappointing that so few politicians see that as perfectly fine. 

 

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Report suggests VPN use would skyrocket under Snooper’s Charter https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/report-suggests-vpn-use-would-skyrocket-under-snoopers-charter/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/report-suggests-vpn-use-would-skyrocket-under-snoopers-charter/#comments Tue, 10 May 2016 11:26:27 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=292326 Theresa May has been pushing the agenda for her “Snooper's Charter,” or to give it it's proper name, the Investigatory Powers Bill (IPB), for years now. Although she has claimed tracking everyone's browser history would aid in the fight against terrorism, research suggests that a lot of people would simply use basic obfuscating technology to avoid …

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Theresa May has been pushing the agenda for her “Snooper's Charter,” or to give it it's proper name, the Investigatory Powers Bill (IPB), for years now. Although she has claimed tracking everyone's browser history would aid in the fight against terrorism, research suggests that a lot of people would simply use basic obfuscating technology to avoid its spying eyes.

As it stands, 13 per cent of Britons use virtual private networks (VPN) to hide where their traffic is coming from, essentially hiding them from the sort of tracking the IPB is pushing. That isn't a big enough segment of the population to make a big impact of course, but new research suggests many more people would begin using it if the bill is passed.

The latest report from Broadband Genie on the use of VPNs and public opinion of the surveillance legislation, suggests that as many as 40 per cent of people would consider using a VPN if the IPB were signed into law. Although considering using a VPN isn't the same as signing up for a service, the fact that such a large number of the 1,662 polled individuals said as much is quite surprising.

Source: Policy Exchange/Flickr

On top of that, 62 per cent of those polled claimed that they were worried about the state of online tracking and suggested it could be used to target minority groups.

“With governments and companies trying to collect more and more information on web users, many feel they’ve been backed into a corner. The only solution is to take steps themselves to secure what they see as their right to privacy,” said Rob Hilborn, head of strategy at Broadband Genie.

He also highlighted that based on repeated reports, VPN usage among Broadband Genie's users had increased by more than 50 per cent in the last year alone. While he isn't sure if this trend will continue, it seems likely that if the IPB passes into law later this year, that many more people will jump on that bandwagon.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you use a VPN? If not, would you consider doing so if the Investigatory Powers Bill is passed?

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Apple joins firms calling for block of Snooper’s Charter https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/apple-joins-firms-calling-for-block-of-snoopers-charter/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/apple-joins-firms-calling-for-block-of-snoopers-charter/#respond Fri, 25 Mar 2016 10:45:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=287981 It didn't take long for politicians to jump on the recent attacks in Brussels, as further evidence that the Theresa May driven Investigatory Powers Bill, more colloquially known as the Snooper's Charter, is needed. This despite many of the world's major tech firms claiming otherwise and now Apple has joined the likes of Google, Microsoft and Facebook …

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It didn't take long for politicians to jump on the recent attacks in Brussels, as further evidence that the Theresa May driven Investigatory Powers Bill, more colloquially known as the Snooper's Charter, is needed. This despite many of the world's major tech firms claiming otherwise and now Apple has joined the likes of Google, Microsoft and Facebook in calling for major changes to the bill.

May has been trying to push the Snooper's Charter through parliament for years and only recently had some measure of success when the British government used the attacks in Paris last year, as reason enough to rush it through parliament. However it's faced setbacks in recent months, as a trio of parliamentary committees have highlighted more than 123 problems with the bill.

Those calls have been echoed by privacy proponents and many of the major tech firms too, with Google and Apple now standing alongside the likes of Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo to voice their concerns. They warn that the bill in its current form invades the privacy of users, and should not make it possible for the government to force companies to weaken their own encryption.

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Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, has repeatedly stood by consumer privacy and against any weakening of digital security. Source: Wikimedia

They also highlight how international agreements between intelligence agencies is often far more effective in bringing about meaningful tracking of terrorists and other criminals, than forcing through powers that give governments unregulated reach beyond their borders. They argue that the UK should not be able to strong arm international companies in this manner (via the Guardian).

This evidence, along with other highlighted issues, were submitted to the public bill committee, which will look at the piece of legislation before it is brought to a vote in the House of Commons.

It remains to be seen whether this will have much effect however. Despite more than 100 complaints made by the parliamentary committees leading up to the current evidence gathering session earlier this year and late 2015, the government's revisions have been cosmetic at best. In one instance, it claimed that the bill protected privacy because it added the word “privacy,” to one of its headings. 

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's disgraceful how much the terror attacks in recent months have been leveraged by May to push this legislation through. It treats everyone like a criminal and will do absolutely nothing to help catch terrorists. 

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Investigatory Powers Bill re-drafted, more of the same https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/investigatory-powers-bill-re-drafted-more-of-the-same/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/investigatory-powers-bill-re-drafted-more-of-the-same/#comments Wed, 02 Mar 2016 12:48:03 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=285800 Yesterday saw the British government publish the latest draft of the Investigatory Powers Bill and though it promised to take into consideration the three committees that have attacked it, addressing their 100+ concerns, it hasn't. In many cases it has ignored major problems raised by various parliamentary bodies and has even added further police powers …

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Yesterday saw the British government publish the latest draft of the Investigatory Powers Bill and though it promised to take into consideration the three committees that have attacked it, addressing their 100+ concerns, it hasn't. In many cases it has ignored major problems raised by various parliamentary bodies and has even added further police powers of surveillance.

The big concern from many organisations, individuals, lobby groups and the government's own appointed bodies, has been the lack of privacy protection.

The ability for the police to view internet connection records, in some instances without a warrant; the fact that browser histories are stored for a year; the potential for companies being forced to backdoor their own encryption, and the ability for the government to order hardware-hacking of devices on a mass scale.

In those respects, nothing has changed.

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Source: Policy Exchange/Flickr

Indeed, powers have been extended, with the new draft (as per Ars) now making it possible for police to view entire “internet connection records” (ICR) rather than just websites that might be illegal. It also solidifies that the police may, in certain cases, demand that companies remove encryption and other obfuscating technologies from digital data, to allow it to be viewed by authorities.

While certain changes were made, such as adding “privacy” to one heading and clarifying that the police must factor in the costs involved in removing security protections when demanding it of companies, little else has been changed that affects the privacy of consumers.

No wording was changed with regards to mass hacking either. Warrantless cracking of hundreds of devices would be entirely legal under the new bill and despite concerns raised from many, this new draft does nothing to change that.

Worse yet, the government and the bill's main proponent, Theresa May, are rushing it through as fast as possible. It is set to be re-introduced into parliament on the 14th March and set to be voted on on the 22nd. Considering the bill is over 800 pages long, this gives no time for politicians to properly familiarise themselves with it.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It really is worrying how fast the government is trying to rush this through. If you have real concerns yourself, it might be worth emailing your MP. You can find all the details and a form to do it with here.

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Despite calls for change, Snooper’s Charter to be rushed through https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/despite-calls-for-change-snoopers-charter-to-be-rushed-through/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/despite-calls-for-change-snoopers-charter-to-be-rushed-through/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2016 11:04:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=285707 The Investigatory Powers Bill, Theresa May's revamped “Snooper's Charter ” as it has so often been termed, is set to be published in full later today, re-introduced to parliament on the 14th and voted on by the 22nd. This is far faster than it was ever meant to be pushed through and is taking place …

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The Investigatory Powers Bill, Theresa May's revamped “Snooper's Charter ” as it has so often been termed, is set to be published in full later today, re-introduced to parliament on the 14th and voted on by the 22nd. This is far faster than it was ever meant to be pushed through and is taking place despite the fact that three separate parliamentary committees have raised 123 issues with it.

May has been trying to introduce increased surveillance powers for Britain's intelligence agencies for years. She previously attempted to push through a Draft Communications Bill in 2013, which contained many of the provisions of the Investigatory Powers Bill (IPB). It was shot down by then coalition leader Nick Clegg, but since then she's come back harder than ever.

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Source: Home Office/Flickr

The IPB would enshrine in law the collection of “internet connection records,” which certainly relate to browsing history, though its vaguery suggests that it could also be used to collect messaging history and similar content. While it does protect these records from unlawful viewing, it does provide special circumstances where a warrant is not required.

This is a major point of contention for all three of the parliamentary committees that have analysed the bill, among almost 100 other concerns, including the lack of oversight, invasions of privacy and the sheer cost of implementing such mass surveillance on a permanent scale. Estimations from ISPs we spoke to suggested that it could cost in the tens of millions of pounds per ISP, with no word on whether the government – and by extension, the public – would foot the bill for that.

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Considering all of the Leo memes lately, it seems only right he explains May's position on committee concerns

As well as using the French terrorist attacks of last year as a springboard for this legislation, May has argued that the reason these concerns should be brushed off, is because internet browsing record collection, currently enabled under emergency legislation, is set to expire at the end of the year. However, as pointed out by fellow Conservative David Davis (via the Independent), that could quite easily be extended to give more time for the bill to be worked on.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: With the bill set to be published in full later today, it seems clear that May is not planning to listen to concerns. Fortunately it seems that there is cross-party opposition to it so passing it through will be difficult, but it's worrisome that so little concern is being paid to intelligent criticism of the bill, from a technical, legal and moral standpoint.

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Watchdog attacks government over Investigatory Powers Bill https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/watchdog-attacks-government-over-investigatory-powers-bill/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/watchdog-attacks-government-over-investigatory-powers-bill/#respond Wed, 10 Feb 2016 11:12:46 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=283434 The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) of Parliament, a previously rather quite organisation has stepped out of the shadows to lambaste the British government over its proposed Investigatory Powers Bill, often termed the Snooper's Charter. It claims that the bill “lacks clarity,” and wants to see privacy protections, “form the backbone of the draft legislation.” …

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The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) of Parliament, a previously rather quite organisation has stepped out of the shadows to lambaste the British government over its proposed Investigatory Powers Bill, often termed the Snooper's Charter. It claims that the bill “lacks clarity,” and wants to see privacy protections, “form the backbone of the draft legislation.”

The Investigatory Powers Bill is the second attempt by Theresa May and the Conservatives to push through legislation that affects surveillance of British citizens on a mass scale. The Communications Data bill of 2013 was shot down by the Liberal Democrats because it was seen as too overreaching, but it's returned with a vengeance since the election last year, with more powers than ever.

Although those powers themselves are worrisome, much of what has concerned the bill's opponents has been its wording, and the ISC is no different. It decries the mention of “bulk equipment interference warrants,” which would allow for the hacking of hardware to snoop on large organisations or groups. The lack of clarity or protections to avoid prejudice or exploitation of the vague wording is of real concern, it said (via Ars).

It wants that measure struck from the bill entirely.

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It also draws cause for concern surrounding the collection of data on individuals, as there is little oversight as to what data should be collected. While one individual may be legally monitored in terms of their phone calls, there is nothing to suggest that the authorities couldn't use it to monitor all aspects of a person's communications, without much to keep that surveillance in-check.

That's the biggest concern the ISC has about the entire bill: the lack of oversight. Agencies are essentially allowed to manage themselves and use ‘best practices' to prevent misuse. That's “simply unacceptable,” the ISC claims, “this new legislation is an opportunity to provide clarity and assurance and it fails to do so in this regard.”

It's not clear at this time what effect the ISC's damning will have on the bill, but considering many politicians debating its legality and viability don't seem to understand many aspects of the bill, it may be beneficial to those looking to curtail its powers. At the very least, debates relating to its function may be a little more informed now.

The Investigatory Powers Bill is currently being debated in parliament to see whether its introduction should be fast tracked in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks of last year.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's good to see a government agency speaking out against the measures in the Investigatory Powers Bill. We've known for some time how over the top its requests for powers are, especially when it comes to reporting and oversight; glad to see others are catching on.

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British MPs critical of new Investigatory Powers Bill https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/british-mps-critical-of-new-investigatory-powers-bill/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/british-mps-critical-of-new-investigatory-powers-bill/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2016 11:00:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=282488 Despite David Cameron and Theresa May calling for a better insight into the websites we visit with the potentially fast tracked Investigatory Powers Bill, a committee of politicians has warned that it lacks clarity, not defining key points. It warned that if the tech-firms that must be complicit in the monitoring do not understand what …

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Despite David Cameron and Theresa May calling for a better insight into the websites we visit with the potentially fast tracked Investigatory Powers Bill, a committee of politicians has warned that it lacks clarity, not defining key points. It warned that if the tech-firms that must be complicit in the monitoring do not understand what is expected of them, then the bill is far from ready for approval.

The Investigatory Powers Bill is a modified piece of legislation loosely based around the original Draft Communications Bill, or “Snooper's Charter,” as it was known, proposed by May several years ago and shot down by then coalition leader, Nick Clegg in 2013. However in the past six months its reared its head again, with politicians looking to use the attacks in France as justification for its speedy passing.

Technology firms and privacy advocacy groups have decried its wording, suggesting that its vaguery for what data would actually be recorded and when, left it open to interpretation and exploitation. Now a parliamentary committee has called for it to be reviewed in order to provide a better understanding for all involved.

“There remain questions about the feasibility of collecting and storing internet connection records (ICRs), including concerns about ensuring security for the records from hackers,” said committee chair, Nicola Blackwood. She highlighted the vaguery of “internet connection records,” (ICR) which most, even those proposing the bill, don't seem to understand the actuality of (via The Guardian).

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Source: PolicyExchange/Flickr

Is an ICR browser history? Is it merely a connection online? Do internet service providers have the hardware or software to archive them? If not, who will pay for it? Some estimations we received from one ISP, suggested that it could cost tens of millions of pounds for each provider and that doesn't even factor in the long term costs of maintaining such records.

Other concerns with the bill related to encryption. While the committee has said that it understands the intelligence agency's desire to be able to read encrypted messaging, the bill doesn't suggest how that could be possible without a ‘backdoor' being used. It's not clear whether the bill would also make it illegal to use current end-to-end encryption services, employed by most major messaging platforms at this point.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Either May and the other supporters of this bill don't understand it, or they don't care that it would impact the privacy and security of every British citizen. Either way they shouldn't be responsible for this sort of legislation.

 

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Information commissioner attacks UK’s new Snooper’s Charter https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/information-commissioner-attacks-uks-new-snoopers-charter/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/information-commissioner-attacks-uks-new-snoopers-charter/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2016 13:11:07 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=280409 Independent public data rights authority, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), has attacked plans by the government to push through the Investigatory Powers Bill, often called the Snooper's Charter. It claims that there is little justification for some of the measures it wishes to push through and claims that it weakens personal privacy without cause. The …

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Independent public data rights authority, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), has attacked plans by the government to push through the Investigatory Powers Bill, often called the Snooper's Charter. It claims that there is little justification for some of the measures it wishes to push through and claims that it weakens personal privacy without cause.

The Investigatory Powers bill is something that Theresa May and other members of the Conservative government have been pushing to instil into law for years. It was previously blocked under a different guise by Nick Clegg, but it's been revived and using the horrific Paris terrorist attacks as leverage, it's now being rushed through in an attempt to pass it sooner.

This is something the ICO (and many other groups) find worrisome, but it's the content of the Bill that has them calling for change. The most notorious and, it claims, unjustified aspect of the bill would require ISPs store the browsing history of customers for 12 months, enabling governments and police forces to trawl through it later down the line if needed.

Ostensibly this is to help track down terrosists, but the ICO sees this as a baseless claim.

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No word on whether May plans to hire the keymaker as of yet

Other concerns include the fact that the bill would potentially force tech companies to provide the government ‘backdoors' to encryption, making it quite redundant in many people's eyes. The ICO agrees, stating in its dressing down of the bill (via the Guardian) that weakening encryption would have: “detrimental consequences to the security of data and safeguards which are essential to the public’s continued confidence in the handling and use of their personal information.”

Encryption is vitally important it argues, to guard against the “compromise of personal information.” Instead, it suggests the government should be championing encryption, as the regular breaches of security at corporate firms and of individuals' private files suggests that obfuscating it would be a good way to protect against hackers.

As it stands, the bill is still being debated, with a new oral evidence session set to take place with Theresa May tomorrow, 13th January.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This really cannot come to pass. Weakening encryption and snooping on citizens will do absolutely nothing to stop terrorists. There are too many avenues of communication to use instead and being able to look at their browsing history later will do nothing to catch someone before they commit a heinous act.

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Apple voices more concerns for Investigatory Powers Bill https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/apple-voices-more-concerns-for-investigatory-powers-bill/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/apple-voices-more-concerns-for-investigatory-powers-bill/#respond Tue, 22 Dec 2015 11:10:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=278828 Apple has once again raised concerns about the British government's plans to introduce the Investigatory Powers Bill, waiting until the final moments of the public consultation to submit its eight page brief on its problems with the snooping act. It joins a number of consumer groups and other tech firms in highlighting the potential pitfalls …

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Apple has once again raised concerns about the British government's plans to introduce the Investigatory Powers Bill, waiting until the final moments of the public consultation to submit its eight page brief on its problems with the snooping act. It joins a number of consumer groups and other tech firms in highlighting the potential pitfalls of the surveillance legislation.

The Investigatory Powers Bill rehashes some portions of the Draft Communications Bill initially proposed by Theresa May and would force changes on technological businesses like Apple, including making them store browser history of customers and potentially weakening encryption also.

It's those major points of the bill that Apple sees as cause for concern. It claims that the language is loose enough in the bill that it could require firms like Apple to provide back-door access to its encrypted messaging platforms. This it claims, would make it possible for hackers and other nefarious actors to break the security too.

“A key left under the doormat would not just be there for the good guys. The bad guys would find it too,” Apple said (via BBC).

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Tim Cook previously voiced his own, comparable concerns for the bill. Source: Wikimedia

The bill would also push for companies of any nationality to comply with local laws and provide information on clients, regardless of their country's data protection laws. While that might be all well and good for the British government, concerns arise when it comes to the Russian government making similar demands of US and other firms, which Apple believes could cause international incidents.

Perhaps the most egregious of the points in the bill that Apple is concerned with though, is the language around the idea of intercepting communications. It believes that the bill would make it lawful for police and intelligence agencies to use tactics such as hacking from remote locations and potentially even interfering with a user's hardware. Apple is worried that it could be ordered under the bill, to commit these acts itself against its own customers.

The window for submitting these sorts of complaints closed yesterday. A parliamentary committee will now examine comments from the tech industry and may vote on whether to rush it through in February.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: These are all valid concerns and not only show that the government doesn't understand what it's asking for, but it doesn't understand the ramifications. 

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Cameron may fast-track surveillance bill after Paris attacks https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/cameron-may-fast-track-surveillance-bill-after-paris-attacks/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/cameron-may-fast-track-surveillance-bill-after-paris-attacks/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2015 15:15:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=275224 “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” is a saying most often attributed to Winston Churchill, but he was far from the first person in a position of political power to consider this motto; he won't be the last either. David Cameron has announced that following the attacks in France just a few days …

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“Never let a good crisis go to waste,” is a saying most often attributed to Winston Churchill, but he was far from the first person in a position of political power to consider this motto; he won't be the last either. David Cameron has announced that following the attacks in France just a few days ago, that Britain should reconsider the plan for the draft Investigatory Powers Bill announced last week.

The bill, named by many as a successor to the Theresa May backed “Snooper's Charter” – which was shot down in 2013 – would force internet service providers to store the browser history of their customers for up to 12 months. It was initially set to be debated in both houses of parliament next year, with a plan to potentially bring it into law in 2017.

However following last week's attacks, the British Prime minister now believes we should “look at the timetable,” of the possible legislation and perhaps bring it forward.

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Image source: Wikimedia

His statement was backed up by several other MPs who also called for a quicker look at the legislation, which defenders claim would make it easier for the police and intelligence agencies to crack down on organised crime and terrorist actions. Detractors however claim that it does not have enough safeguards in place to prevent abuse, and that serious criminals do not use general web browsing, without obfuscation, to communicate with one another.

As a further measure to help prevent any such attacks taking place in the UK, Cameron also announced that the budget for British intelligence would be expanded, allowing for the hiring of 1,900 new agents who would be deployed within MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to expand current spying operations, as per Wired.

KitGuru Says: It does seem a little ridiculous to suggest that attacks similar to the ones in France could be prevented if GCHQ could look through the browser history of everyone in the UK. Security is so important, but we have to be incredibly careful in the wake of emotional attacks like the one last week, as it creates a reactionary atmosphere that can send us down a road that will very hard to retread.

 

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Frankie Boyle takes Theresa May to task over government snooping https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/frankie-boyle-takes-theresa-may-to-task-over-government-snooping/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/frankie-boyle-takes-theresa-may-to-task-over-government-snooping/#respond Wed, 11 Nov 2015 12:40:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=274823 “We haven't had a Stasi or a Gestapo in Britain, so are intellectually lazy about surveillance,” said Tory MP David Davis recently, and that's something a lot of people seem to agree with. Following the publishing of the draft version of the Investigatory Powers Bill, proposed by Theresa May last week, a number of people have …

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“We haven't had a Stasi or a Gestapo in Britain, so are intellectually lazy about surveillance,” said Tory MP David Davis recently, and that's something a lot of people seem to agree with. Following the publishing of the draft version of the Investigatory Powers Bill, proposed by Theresa May last week, a number of people have come out against its measures to track users online and one of them is famously controversy courting comedian, Frankie Boyle.

The problem, he claims, with the Investigatory Power's Bill – a revamped version of the “Snooper's Charter” which May failed to have legally ratified in 2013 – is that it makes criminals out of all of us and looks for suspicion under every stone. When you record everything anyone looks for online, it loses all context. A miss-type of “child prom,” or “bong making kit,” could land you on a list he argues, one that nobody wants to be on.

Also problematic are the lack of safeguards, he said. May previously said that many would be put in place, suggesting that only those with the official go-ahead would be allowed to read the stored communications, but has later backtracked to say that in “urgent” situations, authorities could skip over any form of judicial check.

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But it will be even worse if you tick other boxes already. “This bill will lead to every person of colour’s worst fear: more concerned white people. Because white people will soon be the only ones who can Google the history of Islamophobia without ending up spending a decade watching children’s TV at full volume in a variety of stress positions.”

It's overreaching he says, with a bizarre focus on terrorism, an act which he points out, has claimed the lives of just 56 British citizens in the past 10 years, while many other crimes cause much more harm to society – though of course they are not ideological in nature. Boyle suggests that thought crime may be the real focus of the future, especially when our every thoughts are recorded and stored for up to 12 months.

“The legislation seems to view [our internet history] as a list of actions, but it’s not. It’s a document that shows what we’re thinking about,” he said. “The government wants to know what we’ve been thinking about, and what could be more sinister than that? Perhaps we’ve got so involved in the false selves we project on social media that we’ve forgotten that our real selves, our private selves, are different [and] are worth saving.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As much as Boyle's piece has a few gags thrown in to keep it a little light, what he's discussing is so very dark. Maintaining a collection of our searches as if that incriminates us for anything is absurd and for some reason many people see it as a great method for catching some of the most nefarious people in the world. It doesn't. It won't. It just makes criminals of the rest of us.

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Draft Investigatory Powers Bill will have ISPs record customer data https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/draft-investigatory-powers-bill-will-have-isps-record-customer-data/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/draft-investigatory-powers-bill-will-have-isps-record-customer-data/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:12:23 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=274089 One of the big issues privacy campaigners and some ministers had with the ‘Snooper's Charter' or as it was officially termed, the Draft Communications Data Bill, was that it would have made it mandatory for ISPs to record their customer's online actions for up to 12 months. While that was shot down when Nick Clegg dropped …

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One of the big issues privacy campaigners and some ministers had with the ‘Snooper's Charter' or as it was officially termed, the Draft Communications Data Bill, was that it would have made it mandatory for ISPs to record their customer's online actions for up to 12 months. While that was shot down when Nick Clegg dropped his support in 2013, that clause is back, with the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill set to be unveiled today, expected to have that very same clause in it.

Home secretary Theresa May, who pushed for that surveillance measure in the original bill, has gunned for it ever since it was shot down, stating soon after the Conservatives returned to power that she wanted ISPs move involved in the policing process. This bill has also received the backing of several police forces and David Cameron, who called the Investigatory Powers Bill one of the most important pieces of legislation of his government, as per the BBC.

However organisations like the European Court of Human Rights have ruled that mass data retention without suspicion is in breach of human rights. Home grown bodies like the Open Rights Group too have called for such powers to not come to pass, highlighting that there is a huge potential for abuse when evidence is collected before suspicion.

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British intelligence agencies have been on a pro-PR run lately, trying to assuage any concerns about their activities. Source: Wikimedia

Backing ministers and police however have said that safeguards would be in place, preventing misuse of the data. They also highlighted that only the sites that people visit will be recorded, not the content they access on them. For that it will be able to contact those site owners to receive more information if required.

Of course any time data on anything is stored somewhere, there is also the danger that someone other than those intended will access it. Hacks at major companies over the past year would suggest that no data is 100 per cent safe. However to combat anyone thinking of looking at the data held by ISPs without due process, Theresa May plans to introduce a new law alongside the bill, which would give a two year prison sentence to anyone found accessing the data without lawful authority.

The Investigatory Powers Bill will be unveiled later today and will be debated in both Houses or Parliament before being voted on whether to bring it into practice in 2016.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It seems so naive to assume that anyone performing any actions worth tracking won't be using plenty of obfuscating technologies to make the recording of data at the ISP level largely useless. 

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High Court rules Snooper’s Charter unlawful https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/high-court-rules-snoopers-charter-unlawful/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/high-court-rules-snoopers-charter-unlawful/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2015 14:32:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259558 Theresa May will need to go back to the drawing board is she wants to try and force through the controversial Communications Draft Bill, otherwise known as the Snooper's Charter, as a High Court judge has ruled it unlawful in its current guise. The piece of legislation was said to be designed to help police …

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Theresa May will need to go back to the drawing board is she wants to try and force through the controversial Communications Draft Bill, otherwise known as the Snooper's Charter, as a High Court judge has ruled it unlawful in its current guise. The piece of legislation was said to be designed to help police forces combat terrorism, however in practice was a way to force ISPs and mobile providers to store data on their customers for up to a year.

Promised before the election and attempted to be delivered afterwards, the Snooper's Charter would have made it a legal mandate for broadband providers and mobile phone companies to store the content and metadata of every single user's emails, social networking messages, phone calls, gaming habits, texts and any browsing history for 12 months. May initially pushed for it during the last government, but the Liberal Democrats blocked it.

This time however the blocking comes from the Conservative former shadow home secretary, David Davis and Labour MP Tom Watson, who took the government to court over the matter. The pair were backed up by human rights lobby group Liberty, which has been beating the drum for greater privacy for citizens for some time now.

liberty
Image source: Liberty

While the government and May have argued that repealing the act would reduce Britain's ability to protect its citizens, Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Collins saw otherwise, ruling that the bill contravened the European Bill of Human Rights – something the EU Court of Human Rights has already done.

They ultimately said that the vague wording meant that there are no clear cut rules on when the data collection is allowed and who can view it. However, they fell short of calling for the bill to be scrapped and have instead said that DRIPA can be maintained until 31st March 2016, to give the government time to adjust its policies.

Davis was not perturbed by this, stating in the aftermath of the ruling that (via Guardian): “What this means is that access by the police and other agencies to everyone’s data is too easy. It can can range from a politician giving permission [to intercept communications] to anyone in the next office. That’s against the law and it’s not either in the interests of privacy or security.”

“It’s the right judgement. It’s a measured judgement,” he said. “It gives no risk to security because the government has plenty of time to sort it out.”

KitGuru Says: Nobody is suggesting that the police shouldn't be able to read people's communications, if proper channels are used. If a warrant is received from a court, there's accountability. At that stage, stick cameras inside people for all that it matters. Just make sure that permission is granted from a relevant authority first. Oversight is necessary when dealing with the potential invasion of people's rights.  

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UK public bodies leaked confidential information 150+ times https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-public-bodies-leaked-confidential-information-150-times/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-public-bodies-leaked-confidential-information-150-times/#respond Thu, 16 Jul 2015 09:40:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259291 Striking another blow against the idea that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear from government surveillance this week, is the news that public bodies including the NHS, government departments, police and local councils, have leaked data unsuspectingly over 150 times in the past six years. Before any public information is …

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Striking another blow against the idea that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear from government surveillance this week, is the news that public bodies including the NHS, government departments, police and local councils, have leaked data unsuspectingly over 150 times in the past six years. Before any public information is released by such authorities, it is required to be anonymised, but often this doesn't appear to be the case.

These statistics were dug up by WhatDoTheyKnow.com, an organisation which helps people make requests of local government and other bodies to find out what information they hold on individuals. Through its investigations, it found 154 instances of various bodies releasing data accidentally, or doing so without first hiding the details of individuals.

leak
Although relatively rare for individual councils, the number of UK data leaks in recent years has been torrential

While police, fire brigades and some universities were culpable of leaking data, the worst offenders by far were local governments, as pointed out by the Guardian. As much as a third of the data reveals were made by councils around the country, with Islington Borough council and Brighton and Hove city council being responsible for five and four leaks respectively since 2009.

Although the leaks are a big deal on an individual basis, the reason that WhatDoTheyKnow has released these comprehensive details is that it feels that those responsible are not learning lessons on data security practices. It urges all local authorities to “tighten up their procedures” for data handling, as sensitive data can have a huge impact on people's lives.

In one highlighted instance, several thousand records of people's mental health were released, detailing their potential for suicide.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As the government pushes for the Snooper's Charter and more data gathering in their drag-net surveillance tactics, it becomes even more paramount that governing bodies have secure data protection. And ironically, encryption, which it seems hell bent on destroying.

Image source: Chad Cooper/Flickr

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UK Diplomat: Snowden revelations didn’t endanger spies https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-diplomat-snowden-revelations-didnt-endanger-spies/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-diplomat-snowden-revelations-didnt-endanger-spies/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2015 10:20:27 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=254573 Members of the British intelligence community, including MI6, GCHQ and the Royal Navy took aim at Edward Snowden last week, calling him a traitor and suggesting that by revealing secretive CIA documents, he put the lives of British and American spies at risk. It was even claimed that due to the reveal of operating practices, …

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Members of the British intelligence community, including MI6, GCHQ and the Royal Navy took aim at Edward Snowden last week, calling him a traitor and suggesting that by revealing secretive CIA documents, he put the lives of British and American spies at risk. It was even claimed that due to the reveal of operating practices, US and UK spying was inhibited, since Russia and China could react accordingly. Now though, a British diplomat has come out to say that their claims are “nonsense.”

Craig Murray was once the British ambassador to Uzbekistan and he thinks that the drum beating by those involved in the intelligence agencies is overblown.

“The argument that MI6 officers are at danger of being killed by the Russians or Chinese is a nonsense,” he said. “Rule no.1 in both the CIA and MI6 is that identities are never, ever written down – neither their names or a description that would allow them to be identified.”

MURRAY
Murray was removed from his Ambassadorial position after criticising intelligence agencies over the use of torture

While it could be argued that former heads of GCHQ and other organisations would have a better understanding of intelligence practices, Murray isn't the only one that has suggested that their concerns are overblown. As the Mirror points out, Shami Chakrabarti, director of campaign group Liberty, which has been campaigning to block the Snooper's Charter, said that the recent Anderson report on spying laws in the UK would not have been possible without Snowden's revelations.

It also highlighted that Home Secretary Theresa May is currently pushing (once again) for the Snooper's Charter, so there is some precedent for attacking those that have challenged such intelligence agency oversight of the public's actions.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It does seem like every time there is a major blow dealt to those that stand by governments spying on their own people, that those at least partially responsible hit back with suggestions that safety has been compromised and lives put at risk by airing the truth. While nobody denies that intelligence is important, it suggests a woeful disregard for the soul and purpose of national security, if every one of its citizens is considered as a potential threat. 

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Theresa May wants to vet BBC shows for extremism https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/theresa-may-wants-to-vet-bbc-shows-for-extremism/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/theresa-may-wants-to-vet-bbc-shows-for-extremism/#comments Fri, 22 May 2015 09:23:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=250680 In her continued attempt to stamp out ‘extremism' wherever she thinks it might be, British home secretary, Theresa May, has called for regulatory body OfCom to be given powers to vet TV shows before broadcast to see whether they have any extremist material not suitable for viewing audiences. This move has been criticised by former culture …

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In her continued attempt to stamp out ‘extremism' wherever she thinks it might be, British home secretary, Theresa May, has called for regulatory body OfCom to be given powers to vet TV shows before broadcast to see whether they have any extremist material not suitable for viewing audiences. This move has been criticised by former culture secretary and fellow Conservative MP Sajid Javid, who has labelled the idea as censorship and suggested it could be considered interfering with freedom of speech, “without sufficient justification.”

May's proposal is expected to be announced, at least in part, during the Queen's speech next week, though it has come to light before than thanks to a leaked memo from Javid, calling for David Cameron to block the publication of May's anti-terror proposals. He instead suggests that they amend the wording of it to reiterate the government's support for Ofcom's post-broadcast policing of content shown on television.

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In the letter Javid criticises the idea of turning Ofcom into a censor, suggesting (via The Guardian) that “whilst it is absolutely vital that Government works in partnership with individuals and organisations to do all it can to ensure that society is protected from extremism, it must also continue to protect the right to freedom of expression and ensure that these proposals do not restrict or prevent legitimate and lawful comment or debate.”

This letter was actually sent before the general election, in early March and along with support from other Torie MPs, Javid was successful in preventing May from publishing her thoughts on extremism before the votes were counted. It would have been interesting to see if her plans would have swayed any voters to favour or decry the Conservative party.

Whether Javid's comments had any lasting impact on the party's plans for dealing with extremism in the UK remains to be seen.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Theresa May has such a counter viewpoint to the ethos the Conservatives put out there. It's idea of a smaller government and more local controls has no bearing on a system where regulators pre-check TV shows to see whether they are suitable for broadcast.

Image source: Policy Exchange/Flickr

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Snowden journalist declares UK biggest threat to free speech https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/snowden-journalist-declares-uk-biggest-threat-to-free-speech/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/snowden-journalist-declares-uk-biggest-threat-to-free-speech/#comments Thu, 14 May 2015 11:43:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=249399 Gleen Greenwald, the man who Edward Snowden initially chose as the mouthpiece for his whistle blowing document leaks, has called out the UK, its government and Prime Minister David Cameron, as the biggest threat to democracy and freedom of speech in the world, not the terrorist organisations they so often rail against. Specifically he points …

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Gleen Greenwald, the man who Edward Snowden initially chose as the mouthpiece for his whistle blowing document leaks, has called out the UK, its government and Prime Minister David Cameron, as the biggest threat to democracy and freedom of speech in the world, not the terrorist organisations they so often rail against. Specifically he points to the newly elected Conservative party's proposal for powers that would mean the banning of organisations or groups which could be considered under any definition as “extremist.”

“It’s not enough for British subjects merely to “obey the law”; they must refrain from believing in or expressing ideas which Her Majesty’s Government dislikes,” Greenwald says in his scathing breakdown of the suggested governmental powers.

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Greenwald also published the book “No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State.”

The rhetoric spouted by politicians like Cameron and Theresa May he says, is a smokescreen covering the fact that the very measures being discussed to try and combat extremism, societal division and non-tolerance of different faiths and ideals, are exactly the sort of democracy destroying ideals that they are claiming to try and combat. These politicians he says, including ones from France, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and all of them them have a “desire to curb freedoms in the name of protecting them: prosecuting people for Facebook postings critical of Western militarism or selling “radical” cable channels,” he says, pointing to incidents where people have been arrested for things they've said.

What's bizarre he says, is that all of this censorship and thought-crime policing comes just months after so many politicians marched in support of free speech after the Charlie Hebdo murders.

“For those who truly believe in principles of free expression — as opposed to pretending to when it allows one to bash the Other Tribe — these are the assaults [on freedom] that need marches and protests.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It really is bizarre to see people like May claim that others are looking to build racial and religious intolerance, when the laws they want to enact will give the power to shutter Mosques and other buildings which may be used to foster this vague concept of “extremism.”

Image source: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

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UK Government to introduce new hate-group laws https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-government-to-introduce-new-hate-group-laws/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-government-to-introduce-new-hate-group-laws/#comments Wed, 13 May 2015 10:33:51 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=249243 Being a member of a group that is classified as one that encourages ‘radicalisation' or spouts hate-speech, could lead to the very meeting of such an organisation made illegal, under new laws announced by the re-elected Conservative government. Promised by Theresa May and David Cameron before the election, cracking down on ideologies described by the …

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Being a member of a group that is classified as one that encourages ‘radicalisation' or spouts hate-speech, could lead to the very meeting of such an organisation made illegal, under new laws announced by the re-elected Conservative government. Promised by Theresa May and David Cameron before the election, cracking down on ideologies described by the PM as “poisonous,” is one the new cabinet is doubling down on in the weeks after the votes were cast.

These attempts to target the groups that it's believed seed the thoughts of radicalism among the vulnerable, have been something the Conservatives have wanted to go after for some time, but before when it was part of the coalition, the Liberal Democrats made sure to block its attempts, much like they did with the Snooper's Charter. However now that the Conservatives hold a majority – albeit a slim one – it's possible that it will be able to railroad through its reforms of hate-speech law.

May's previous description of the legislation has many people worried however. Along with potentially infringing on the free speech of individuals, the new laws would give local authorities the power to deem groups illegal, if there was reason to believe that any collective was spouting ‘hatred' in a public space, or even something as vague as “threatening democracy.” The new laws could also see any groups disbanded or made illegal if they were thought to be at risk of causing “harm or public disorder,” according to the BBC.

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May was one of the more high profile politicians to retain her seat during the recent election

The wording there is so loose, that it could theoretically apply to almost anyone if push came to shove. Simply being a part of any organisation or providing funding for a group that was considered guilty of such actions, would become illegal under the new plans as well.

David Cameron is a big supporter of the legislative changes and is planning to explain them as a strong response to radicalisation in the UK, which he believes has been passively resistant for too long. Moving forward, he claims that the UK will confront the “poisonous Islamist extremist ideology.”

May is thought likely to tell the National Security Council in the coming week, that the new laws will be designed to “challenge bigotry and ignorange.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Bigotry and ignorance… this coming from the woman who banned the benign substance Khat, which had a low potential for abuse and only affected minority communities and overseas enterprises.

Image source: Policy Exchange/Flickr

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Theresa May: Conservatives will reintroduce Snooper’s Charter https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/theresa-may-conservatives-will-reintroduce-snoopers-charter/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/theresa-may-conservatives-will-reintroduce-snoopers-charter/#comments Fri, 08 May 2015 08:05:36 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=248544 Although the last 12 hours of British politics have been surprising and tumultuous right across the country, it seems clear at this point that the Conservatives will remain in power and will by all likelihood, have a confirmed majority in government before long. That means that many of its plans will now come to fruition …

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Although the last 12 hours of British politics have been surprising and tumultuous right across the country, it seems clear at this point that the Conservatives will remain in power and will by all likelihood, have a confirmed majority in government before long. That means that many of its plans will now come to fruition and Theresa May has already confirmed many of them, including that the party will be likely to vote in a new version of the previously rejected Snooper's Charter.

The Draft Communications Data Bill, often nicknamed the Snooper's Charter for what its opponents consider to be invasive monitoring, would force British internet service providers to keep records on their customers for 12 months at a time. That would include all metadata relating to phone calls, emails, social networking and even online gaming habits, just in-case it might be required for a criminal investigation. While previous attempts to bring it to bear were blocked by the Liberal Democrats and other interested parties, that is unlikely to happen if/when the Conservatives try again.

theresamay

Much like GCHQ's already existing data retention scheme, Tempora, the information collection system is said by many to be in breach of the public's human right to privacy. However, that may not be a claim that can be made for much longer, as one of the pre-election promises that it seems likely the Conservatives will also push to make come true, is pulling the UK from the European Convention of Human Rights, and instead drafting up a new British Bill of Human Rights. The contents of such a bill would likely side step the legal issues with such spying schemes.

Discuss on out Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The Snooper's Charter doesn't give the government access to much more information than it already has, but it makes the ISPs culpable in that data retention and could very well foster distrust in the British tech sector as the NSA spying claims did in the US.

Image source: Tmay

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UK Home Secretary calls for more government surveilance https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-home-secretary-calls-for-more-government-surveilance/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-home-secretary-calls-for-more-government-surveilance/#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2014 12:23:06 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=200006 Despite last year's Edward Snowden revelations kicking off big debates about government intrusion in the day to day lives of internet and telephone users the world over, the British government doesn't feel like it has enough eyes on its citizens. The Home Secretary, Theresa May, recently made a speech about how the dangers of terrorism …

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Despite last year's Edward Snowden revelations kicking off big debates about government intrusion in the day to day lives of internet and telephone users the world over, the British government doesn't feel like it has enough eyes on its citizens. The Home Secretary, Theresa May, recently made a speech about how the dangers of terrorism mean we need to have more government surveillance.

While I've love to take her to task for using the terrorism buzzword for scaremongering purposes, in all fairness, the speech was her annual Lord Mayor's Defence and Security lecture and with the recent problems in Iraq, it's fair to say that terrorism was bound to come up.

Image Source: Home Office
Image Source: Home Office

However, her veiled threats that terrorists are in our back garden, certainly seemed more in-line with typical tabloid headline fear:

“The terrorist threats to this country and our interests are changing faster than at any time since 9/11. We continue to face possible attacks by al Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” she said. “They are on the doorstep on Europe, just a few hours flying time from London, and they want to attack us – not just in Syria or Iraq but here in Britain.”

Image source: Spacial
Image source: Spatial

Someone should point out to Miss May that in the 21st century, the whole world is only a few hours flight away.

She went on to discuss data collection in the past, suggesting that it was nothing to worry about as the government had always been doing it, but that now it was getting harder. Which is why it needs more power. 

“It is much harder now – there is more data, we do not own it and we can no longer always obtain it,” she said. “I know some people will say ‘hurrah for that’ – but the result is that we are in danger of making the internet an ungoverned, ungovernable space, a safe haven for terrorism and criminality.”

She ended with a show of determination, stating that she and those that believed as she does – that government tracking and monitoring need to be stepped up – would never give up:
“Yes, we have to make sure that the capabilities can only be used with the right authorisation and with appropriate oversight. But this is quite simply a question of life and death, a matter of national security. We must keep on making the case until we get the changes we need.”

Understandably, many people completely disagree with May on the topic of privacy, government oversight and surveillance. Loz Kaye, leader of the Pirate Party UK commented that she was trying to once again bring about the “Snooper's Charter,” an invasive communications bill that was shot down in 2013 by dwindling support.

“Yet again Theresa May is trying to open the door to bring back the Snoopers' Charter. Despite her claiming it is ‘fictitious', we now know thanks to Snowden that the UK has an unprecedented ability to carry out mass surveillance,” he said. “What capabilities does the Home Secretary want over and above OpticNerve's interception of webcam images of people not suspected of any wrongdoing?”

He then went on to point out many of the individuals who had been tracked down using already available surveillance techniques. If the government was currently helpless, then why were they so easy to find?

“Theresa May suggests that the Internet is becoming an ungoverned place. That is obviously nonsense. Try telling that to Richard O'Dwyer, Paul Chambers or Peter Sunde. Far from protecting us, mass surveillance dismantles the very freedoms this government claims to be upholding. This is not abstract as she claims, it is a real danger for our democracy”.

KitGuru Says: Theresa May once again seems absolutely out of touch with the reality of being a citizen. Just as she ignored claims that banning Khet would do more harm than good because she was on the warpath, here again she shows disdain for personal privacy and a disinterest in listening to the people that helped put her in office. Perhaps if she'd had her phone hacked like German chancellor Angela Merkel and some of her personal information had been leaked, she might not be so excited by the prospect of more government intrusion. 

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Theresa May and Nick Clegg clash over ‘snooper’ bill https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/theresa-may-and-nick-clegg-clash-over-snooper-bill/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/theresa-may-and-nick-clegg-clash-over-snooper-bill/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:06:49 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=118449 The UK and other countries around the world have been threatened by overreaching digital communication legislation many times in the past few years  and we aren't done yet. The latest one is known as the “snooper” bill and it's being championed by home secretary Theresa May – fortunately, coalition partner Nick Clegg and many other …

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The UK and other countries around the world have been threatened by overreaching digital communication legislation many times in the past few years  and we aren't done yet. The latest one is known as the “snooper” bill and it's being championed by home secretary Theresa May – fortunately, coalition partner Nick Clegg and many other MPs are opposing it.

Unfortunately this doesn't look to have knocked Mrs May's confidence, since she has made it quite clear that she was determined to get the ballet on the books before the next election. If enacted it would give much stronger powers for the government and organisations to view the digital communications of average citizens. Critical MPs have said it amounts to setting up a “federated database of all UK citizen's communications data.”

Some of the biggest concerns around the scheme include the potential cost of several billion pounds over a ten year period, as well as the inadequate safeguards for the data being collected. These have led plenty of MPs to voice their disapproval of the bill, one suggesting that it was already dead in the water.

Not to be defeated however, May talked about the bill in the Sun newspaper this morning, saying that if her own MPs wouldn't support the bill, she'd look to Labour to provide the backing she needed to get it pushed through.

“Countries across the world are taking action now to help them track paedophiles and terrorists who abuse new technology to plot their horrific crimes. We must not get left behind,” she said.

Theresa May
The Sun. Terrorists. Paedophiles. I think I see what she's doing here.

Despite her confidence though that someone would back her up, it doesn't look that way. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper took this as an opportunity to drum up browny points for herself, by suggesting that she would never back May's bill and that ultimately Mrs May was making a “complete mess of a very important issue.”

However, it isn't going to be completely scrapped. Even those staunchly against the bill seem to be suggesting that it just needs tweaking and rewording, so that better safeguards can be put in place.

KitGuru Says: Whenever I hear someone using the words terrorism or paedophiles, I immediately think sensationalism, as these are two very emotion heavy words. They make people scared and defensive, putting them in a position where more legislation seems like the right idea. We shouldn't be scared into new laws. Especially not when it comes to privacy and free speech.

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Lib Dems could oppose email snooping bill https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/lib-dems-could-oppose-email-snooping-bill/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/lib-dems-could-oppose-email-snooping-bill/#respond Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:29:52 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=117191 While it's not certain at the moment, it's being suggested by some sources that the Liberal Democrats could be pushing to have the Communications Data Bill – one that would give police increased powers to monitor email and internet usage – squashed. According to the BBC, the Home Office is still stating publicly that the …

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While it's not certain at the moment, it's being suggested by some sources that the Liberal Democrats could be pushing to have the Communications Data Bill – one that would give police increased powers to monitor email and internet usage – squashed.

According to the BBC, the Home Office is still stating publicly that the bill is set to be brought into practice in 2014 – similar to the way that the Digital Economy Bill was rushed in at the end of the last government's parliament.  It believes that extending powers beyond mobile phone snooping, to include both email and internet usage, is a necessary one to help combat crime and terrorism, while opponents believe it to be a further invasion of privacy and one more step on the road to a 1984 style ‘nanny state.' Nick Clegg apparently agrees with the latter group, having said directly to the Prime Minister that he is “non-committal” about the bill.

Draft Communications Bill
Nick Clegg isn't the only politician that's against the bill. Source: Markpack.org.uk

Some of the sources being cited suggest that Mr Clegg will go all out to stop the bill being passed and that ultimately it's dead in the water, since without Lib Dem support, the Conservatives couldn't hope to pass it. However Labour has yet to make clear whether it plans to support it or not. Next week the bill we see some public debate, where the joint committee on the bill will suggest that the Home Office hasn't done enough to show that a bill like this is necessary.

It's also been suggested that forcing companies to store data records for 12 months puts an unfair burden on business and presents a grave security threat, since information like that would be a gold mine for hackers.

If you want to read the bill in its entirety, you can do so here.

KitGuru Says: Hopefully this bill ends up getting quashed. It was annoying when Labour sneaked in the Digital Economy Bill, it'd be a shame if we see the same sort of thing happen with the current government – though hardly surprising.

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Theresa May website hacker is arrested https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/theresa-may-website-hacker-is-arrested/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/theresa-may-website-hacker-is-arrested/#respond Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:34:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=114751 A 41 year old man has been arrested for hacking the website of current British home secretary, Theresa May, as well as orchestrating a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack. He was arrested as part of a joint operation between Scotland Yard and local police officers on Tuesday and was questioned before being released on …

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A 41 year old man has been arrested for hacking the website of current British home secretary, Theresa May, as well as orchestrating a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack.

He was arrested as part of a joint operation between Scotland Yard and local police officers on Tuesday and was questioned before being released on bail. However his electronics and computer equipment have been kept in custody so specialists can go over them with a fine toothed, digital comb – in an attempt to drum up evidence.

“Assisting and encouraging cyber crime is a serious matter and I would advise all persons to consider their actions and any possible future consequences prior to posting any material online,” said Detective Inspector Jason Tunn of the Met’s Police Central e-Crime Unit (via Telegraph).

Theresa May
Theresa May blocked McKinnon's extradition after his autism became a big factor

The attacks, which also hit the Home Office website, were orchestrated back in June, with several members of hacktivist movement Anonymous claiming that it was in response to Mrs May's unwillingness to block the extradition of Gary McKinnon –  a hacker himself – and Richard O'Dwyer, the man behind streaming link site TV Shack.

Since then McKinnon's deportation has been blocked by Mrs May, but O'Dwyer's fate is still unknown at this time.  His family have a GoFundMe page in an attempt to drum up some legal funds to fight his extradition, if you want to help them out.

KitGuru Says: DDOS attacks might seem very aggressive, but surely they aren't much more than a digital sit in or online human chain? They prevent access to something, they don't destroy anything.

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Pirate Party speaks out on Gary McKinnon extradition block https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/pirate-party-speaks-out-on-gary-mckinnon-extradition-block/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/pirate-party-speaks-out-on-gary-mckinnon-extradition-block/#comments Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:00:50 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=112112 Leader of the UK's Pirate Party, Loz Kaye, has been speaking out about the extradition of hacker Gary McKinnon, after it was blocked yesterday by home secretary Theresa May. As you might imagine, he's pleased. “Today's decision is welcome, if long overdue. It's frankly a scandal that Gary McKinnon has been left waiting for more than …

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Leader of the UK's Pirate Party, Loz Kaye, has been speaking out about the extradition of hacker Gary McKinnon, after it was blocked yesterday by home secretary Theresa May. As you might imagine, he's pleased.

“Today's decision is welcome, if long overdue. It's frankly a scandal that Gary McKinnon has been left waiting for more than a decade. This case has not made the US, or the UK, safer. It has however torn a family apart, and I hope Gary McKinnon and his mother Janis Sharp can start to rebuild their lives,” begins his official statement.

Considering the hacks perpetrated by Mr McKinnon happened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks back in 2001, it does seem surprising that it has continued this long. In-fact up until the decision was made yesterday, it seemed likely that despite all the elapsed time, he would end up being extradited after all. Theresa May prevailed in the end however, blocking the deportation on Human Rights Grounds. It was suggested that Mr McKinnon, who is considered to be on the autistic-spectrum, could end up taking his own life if sent to the US.

Wargames
I know it's nearly 30 years old, but hacking military systems always makes me think of Wargames

Mr Kaye continued his statement by pointing out that quite often, hackers that don't maliciously affect systems they break into, are given jobs at those same companies and organisations: “If anything the US government should be thanking Gary – in the computer security industry, hackers who make their attacks public are seen as a blessing, as they expose vulnerabilities which can then be fixed.”

McKinnon maintains that when he hacked the 97 US military systems back in 2001, he was just looking for information on UFOs.

KitGuru Says: So do you guys agree with Mr Kaye? Or do you feel like McKinnon should have been extradited to answer for his crimes? If  he had been sent abroad and convicted, he could have ended up facing 60 years in jail.

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