GCHQ Spy Agency Given Illegal Access To Citizens' Data (ft.com) 46
The British government broke the law by allowing spy agencies to amass data on UK citizens without proper oversight from the Foreign Office, an independent tribunal has ruled. From a report: GCHQ, the UK's electronic surveillance agency, was given vastly increased powers to obtain and analyze citizens' data after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, on the condition that it agreed to strict oversight from the foreign secretary. But according to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, an independent court that was set up by the government to investigate unlawful intrusion by public bodies in the UK, the Foreign Office on several occasions gave GCHQ an effective "carte blanche" to demand data from telecoms and internet companies [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source], which could include visited websites, location information and email contacts. In a judgment published on Monday, the tribunal said: "In cases in which ... the foreign secretary made a general direction which applied to all communications through the networks operated by the [communications service provider], there had been an unlawful delegation of the power. "The lack of legal control on the discretion of [GCHQ] is compounded in those cases where the specific requirement was not communicated in writing."
Re: (Score:2)
Considering how many CCTVs are in London, it's a wonder there isn't an Orwellian book based on the UK.
There is, it was written by George Orwell... "1984" is the title..
Oh wait, you where making sort of a joke, right?
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The US had the money to buy computers in the 1950's and for the next decades.
The UK had the global collection methods on land the USA needed after ww2.
The UK did not have the money needed to build its own spy sats, subs, super computers, do collect it all, spy on everything in Ireland, spy on the world. Design and build its own nuclear weapons.
Empire and UK bases got traded for advanced US computing power.
For the GCHQ its was the quality of transl
Re: Is it really illegal though? (Score:2)
Oh wait, you where making sort of a joke, right?
The parent has already demonstrated far too low of a cognitive threshold to even understand what you just typed.
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The first communications satellites.
The legal powers and collect it all ability was always a given in the UK.
What set the UK system part from the US system was the UK was aware it could never tell anyone.
No lawyers, police, telco, politics, media to talk of methods. The UK stayed secure as its mil never allowed police to see raw product.
That kept anyone outside th
Re: Is it really illegal though? (Score:2)
...the UK has perfected this, and therefore not illegal
If your mother told you that you weren't fucking retarded, she lied... but I'm reasonably sure it was only because she loved you.
Uh oh... (Score:3, Funny)
This could get ugly...someone might actually get a warning not to do it again! Or even worse...a verbal dressing down and then a warning not to do it again!
Re:Uh oh... (Score:5, Informative)
This could get ugly...someone might actually get a warning not to do it again!
Even less than that. I prefer The Register's way of putting it:
UK spies broke law for 15 years, but what can you do? shrugs judge. Appeal against my latest judgment? Oh wait, you can't! [theregister.co.uk]
Re:Uh oh... (Score:4, Interesting)
Empire to one side of the world to the other where the sun never sets. Manages to piss it all away in a generation and a half, and oppresses their own subjects(not citizens of course), harder then under the monarchy. Sure makes you wonder why people haven't uniformly snapped yet.
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Not sure we "pissed away" our empire so much as stopped subjugating the people whose countries we invaded...
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Not sure we "pissed away" our empire so much as stopped subjugating the people whose countries we invaded...
They pissed it away. If you can't figure out how or why, then you have less understanding of the commonwealth then someone who was never born there.
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...and now reserve oppression only for those who attempt to stand in the way of the systematic self destruction of your once proud nation and culture.
Such as the persecution of a certain activist journalist, and those that also express unapproved opinions on Twitter and Facebook.
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At least now when the police try to imply that using a VPN is evidence of criminal activity you can point out that it's self defence against the criminals they failed to stop.
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Or a warning not to get caught again.
Trust? (Score:2)
"You can trust us. We're the Government and we're just here to help you."
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"You can trust us. We're the Government and we're just here to help you."
Sarcasm that's true, even in socialist states that are worse than the UK.
"Hello Comrade... I'm with the KGB and I'm here to collect what I need from you... " or "Mr. Chow, I'm Mr. Ping, I'm from the regional office and I'm here to take what you have for the good of the country and tell you must move...." Or... "Mr Moon, Dear Leader demands you hand over that food for his appetizer tray even though you will starve. If you don't smile about it, you will be marched in front of the AA battery for target p
And the punishement will be? (Score:2)
These kinds of rulings go nowhere, or some token punishment that doesn't matter is given out followed by the agency doing the exact same thing only a new law or slight adjustment makes it "legal".
SHOCKED! (Score:1)
Shocked I say dear chap! Maybe about time to look at what's going on around you dear brits, on the upside you're doing a seriously bang-up job on showing everyone else the future. Now toddle on and get some fish and chips in newspaper like a good lad. And ignore that there's a systemic problem with both the policing at the local and federal level that you need to clean up.
And so, who knew that a gigantic surveillance state wouldn't turn around and abuse these powers at all. Now all they've got to do is
Only one side has to play by the rules. (Score:5, Insightful)
What do you call a government where only the proles have to obey the "laws?" Totalitarian? Yeah, I think that's it. Can we please now stop pretending our governments are in any way, shape, or form represent the peoplpe?
Re: Only one side has to play by the rules. (Score:2)
Can we please now stop pretending our governments are in any way, shape, or form represent the peoplpe?
Be careful what you wish for; the day we can no longer pretend is the day we have to admit we've conpleted our return to feudalism.
Well I'm shocked, Shocked I say.... (Score:1)
"Well I'm shocked, SHOCKED I say that a spy agency is spying"...
"The information you collected is here sir!"
"Thank You."
"Now round up the usual suspects! I've got some interrogations to do."