snooperscharter

Latest

UK intelligence committee slams IP Bill for being too vague
by
Nick Summers
02.09.2016
The UK's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has struck out at a controversial surveillance law being proposed by the UK government, the Investigatory Powers Bill (IP Bill). The response is notable because the Committee is one of three groups that were commissioned to look into the UK's patchwork of laws before the IP Bill was drafted. The authors believe the new bill has "suffered from a lack of sufficient time and preparation" and doesn't cover some important powers held by the UK's intelligence agencies. Given the purpose of the law is to collect, update and explain these abilities, the Committee calls the bill "a missed opportunity."
UK claims its spying bill will protect you from cyberbullies
by
Jon Fingas
12.27.2015
When politicians want approval for controversial security measures, they sometimes like to lean on insecurities about your kids' safety -- the "won't somebody think of the children?" trope is so common that it became a joke in The Simpsons. And the British government isn't above using that tactic to get its draft Investigatory Powers Bill past critics, apparently. Home Secretary Theresa May tells a member of Parliament that the far-reaching surveillance legislation would help tackle the "pernicious" problems of cyberbullying and trolling. She claims that the bill would make it easier for police to pinpoint both the harassers and their victims, making it harder to threaten someone anonymously. See? Your young ones will be safer!
UK carriers say draft snooping law will be a technical feat
by
Jamie Rigg
12.16.2015
Key to the draft Investigatory Powers Bill is a proposal that would require internet and other communications providers to collect and store 12 months of web traffic data, so it can be made available to government agencies when needed. It's a subject of ongoing debate in Parliament, and just last week, the UK's major ISPs voiced their concerns over the cost and technical challenges associated with gathering and processing these Internet Connection Records (ICRs). Yesterday, it was the turn of execs from EE, Three, O2 and Vodafone to meet with the draft bill's joint committee, and while the big four carriers echoed the sentiments of the ISPs, they are even more wary of the scale and scope of what the government is asking them to deliver.
ISPs warn UK snooping law will cost time and lots of money
by
Jamie Rigg
12.10.2015
The Investigatory Powers Bill, aka the new Snoopers' Charter, aims to clarify and extend the UK government's surveillance capabilities. Of the proposed changes to existing legislation, one of the biggest is the requirement that all British ISPs store the last 12 months of browsing data so that it may be accessible to government agencies. The draft bill still needs the approval of the House of Commons and House of Lords to become law, so the finer details aren't yet set in stone, but the UK's major internet providers are already advising it'll be a big ask. Speaking to the bill's joint committee yesterday, execs from BT, Sky and Virgin Media warned the capture and storage of Internet Connection Records (ICRs) would be both costly, and could take several years to implement.
UK Investigatory Powers Bill: what you need to know
by
Nick Summers
11.04.2015
The UK government has put forward a bill today that forces internet service providers (ISPs) to keep a record of the websites their customers have visited for up to 12 months. These "internet connection records" (ICRs) could then be requested by law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies to identify which services a person or device has been accessing. It would not reveal every webpage they've browsed -- the current understanding, as set out in David Anderson's recent review of surveillance laws, is that it would cover google.com or bbc.co.uk, but nothing beyond the first forward slash.
UK government should retain mass surveillance powers, says report
by
Nick Summers
06.11.2015
An "undemocratic" and "unnecessary" patchwork of laws that facilitate the UK government's use of mass surveillance should be abandoned in favour of new legislation "drafted from scratch." That's the conclusion of a new, independent review commissioned by the government, which broadly supports the current powers available to intelligence services.