Police seek powers to access browsing history of UK computer users

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...computer-users

Police have lobbied the government for the power to view the internet browsing history of every computer user in Britain ahead of the publication of legislation on regulating surveillance powers.

Senior officers want to revive the measures similar to those contained in the“snooper’s charter”, which would force telecommunications companies to retain for 12 months data that would disclose websites visited by customers, reported the Times.

According to The Telegraph the Government is expected to grant these powers.

[Ramrod]

I feel sorry for the telecomms companies that will now have to dedicate staff and space to retaining all that data

I am not actually sure how this differs to what they already collect? I suspect this is just allowing police faster access to it.

[Osem]

We're going to see more of this. Thanks to either misguided foreign policy amongst other things (some quite possibly sinister) our rights and freedoms are going to be eroded in one way or another. Of course it'll all be dressed up as being for the greater good but you have to ask what lies behind all that. Why are we being encouraged to entrust our whole lives to an internet which patently isn't secure when so many of us don't have the slightest clue how to protect ourselves properly? Why is it becoming increasingly hard to avoid having our personal information held on computers all over the place? We're being ever more closely scrutinised and forced into a situation where our lives can effectively be examined and, if necessary, shut down at the press of a button somewhere.

For me there are two possibilities and they're not mutually exclusive. This is all the result of pure negligence and idiocy on the part of our glorious leaders around the globe or these people have collectively come to realise that in order to have a chance of protecting themselves (the chosen few) and their livelihoods from what I believe is inevitable global turmoil, they're setting us up to be controlled. What better way to control people than by leading them into a digital existence in which all the tools they need to run their lives can be shut off in an instant?

I've never been a great conspiracy theorist but increasingly over the years I've looked at what's been/being allowed to happen and find it hard to put it all down to ineptitude, especially when it's clear that with growing pressure on resources and increasing population there's going to be less to go around and the rich/powerful are not going to want to see their privileged existence eroded.

Not long ago I'd have viewed the above as science fiction but I'm fast coming to the conclusion that this is all part of a plan in which global turmoil (however it results) is being used and even created in order to bring it to fruition.

Maybe I'm still suffering the effects of anaesthesia...

[heero_yuy]

What concerns me about any of these snooping powers is the abuse: We've already seen RIPA anti-terrorism laws used by local councils to prosecute over dog poo and chase council tax non-payers. Unless there are some serious safeguards like a court order being needed to access records I can see this being abused as well.

The road to hell is truely paved in good intentions.

[Osem]

Whatever safeguards are created, how long before they are gradually eroded by hook or by crook? There will always be the opportunity for govts. to use, even engineer, whatever pretext they like in order to justify moving the goalposts and I don't see them being moved to our benefit.

Then maybe we should take to social media to complain and actually go out and protest in person?

[Osem]

If there was a 'revolution' does anyone think those who assumed power in whatever form that might be would be any better than those they replaced? Power always seems to corrupt, it's a basic human trait isn't it?...

[djfunkdup]

Originally Posted by Osem

We're going to see more of this. Thanks to either misguided foreign policy amongst other things (some quite possibly sinister) our rights and freedoms are going to be eroded in one way or another. Of course it'll all be dressed up as being for the greater good but you have to ask what lies behind all that. Why are we being encouraged to entrust our whole lives to an internet which patently isn't secure when so many of us don't have the slightest clue how to protect ourselves properly? Why is it becoming increasingly hard to avoid having our personal information held on computers all over the place? We're being ever more closely scrutinised and forced into a situation where our lives can effectively be examined and, if necessary, shut down at the press of a button somewhere.

For me there are two possibilities and they're not mutually exclusive. This is all the result of pure negligence and idiocy on the part of our glorious leaders around the globe or these people have collectively come to realise that in order to have a chance of protecting themselves (the chosen few) and their livelihoods from what I believe is inevitable global turmoil, they're setting us up to be controlled. What better way to control people than by leading them into a digital existence in which all the tools they need to run their lives can be shut off in an instant?

I've never been a great conspiracy theorist but increasingly over the years I've looked at what's been/being allowed to happen and find it hard to put it all down to ineptitude, especially when it's clear that with growing pressure on resources and increasing population there's going to be less to go around and the rich/powerful are not going to want to see their privileged existence eroded.

Not long ago I'd have viewed the above as science fiction but I'm fast coming to the conclusion that this is all part of a plan in which global turmoil (however it results) is being used and even created in order to bring it to fruition.

Maybe I'm still suffering the effects of anaesthesia...

No .. You are just a flapper and worry too much ... get out more or get a hobby that might help distract you ..


Anyway .. i used to feel quite strongly about this subject .Changed my tack now and don't really care one way or another.i don't sell kids, heroin or machine guns so i have no concearn who or what intercepts anything i do online.i have better things to divert my attention too rather than worrying that someone might be reading my e-mails or viewing my browsing history.i could if i wanted to use my VPN 247 anyway and neither VM or anyone else would know what i was up to

As has been stated before, it's not just the traffic that is monitored, but the traffic methods and patterns - for instance, someone using VPN would get more attention....

[djfunkdup]

Originally Posted by Hugh

As has been stated before, it's not just the traffic that is monitored, but the traffic methods and patterns - for instance, someone using VPN would get more attention....

Hugh they can be aware or as un-aware as they like when it comes to a VPN .. it aint illegal to use one and they can attempt to sniff about it as much as they want. that's as far as they would get. i use a VPN that's base is in germany with access to many other locations via their network.. i hardly use it tbh but they are as cheap as chips these days so i have it just because i can a bit like my fishing rod and my collection of syberian hamster photos . i don't need or even require them but i have them just because i can

Originally Posted by Osem

If there was a 'revolution' does anyone think those who assumed power in whatever form that might be would be any better than those they replaced? Power always seems to corrupt, it's a basic human trait isn't it?...

I remember reading a book about this with a bunch of farm animals. As I recall it ended pretty well for all of them.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by djfunkdup

No .. You are just a flapper and worry too much ... get out more or get a hobby that might help distract you ..


Anyway .. i used to feel quite strongly about this subject .Changed my tack now and don't really care one way or another.i don't sell kids, heroin or machine guns so i have no concearn who or what intercepts anything i do online.i have better things to divert my attention too rather than worrying that someone might be reading my e-mails or viewing my browsing history.i could if i wanted to use my VPN 247 anyway and neither VM or anyone else would know what i was up to

Posting here a few times a day is my hobby. I have plenty of other, more pressing things to worry about believe me...

This measure doesn't bother me particularly but I do think it's just another small part of a slippery slope we're on one way or the other, mainly as a result of what I see as Govt. ineptitude or worse. I'm really not in a spin about this but I am pessimistic about the future. Time will tell if I'm right eh?...





---------- Post added at 15:54 ---------- Previous post was at 15:53 ----------

Originally Posted by Damien

I remember reading a book about this with a bunch of farm animals. As I recall it ended pretty well for all of them.

That's fiction for you.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Osem

We're going to see more of this. Thanks to either misguided foreign policy amongst other things (some quite possibly sinister) our rights and freedoms are going to be eroded in one way or another. Of course it'll all be dressed up as being for the greater good but you have to ask what lies behind all that. Why are we being encouraged to entrust our whole lives to an internet which patently isn't secure when so many of us don't have the slightest clue how to protect ourselves properly? Why is it becoming increasingly hard to avoid having our personal information held on computers all over the place? We're being ever more closely scrutinised and forced into a situation where our lives can effectively be examined and, if necessary, shut down at the press of a button somewhere.

For me there are two possibilities and they're not mutually exclusive. This is all the result of pure negligence and idiocy on the part of our glorious leaders around the globe or these people have collectively come to realise that in order to have a chance of protecting themselves (the chosen few) and their livelihoods from what I believe is inevitable global turmoil, they're setting us up to be controlled. What better way to control people than by leading them into a digital existence in which all the tools they need to run their lives can be shut off in an instant?

I've never been a great conspiracy theorist but increasingly over the years I've looked at what's been/being allowed to happen and find it hard to put it all down to ineptitude, especially when it's clear that with growing pressure on resources and increasing population there's going to be less to go around and the rich/powerful are not going to want to see their privileged existence eroded.

Not long ago I'd have viewed the above as science fiction but I'm fast coming to the conclusion that this is all part of a plan in which global turmoil (however it results) is being used and even created in order to bring it to fruition.

Maybe I'm still suffering the effects of anaesthesia...

I think you're just paranoid.

[Mick Fisher]

Originally Posted by Osem

We're going to see more of this. Thanks to either misguided foreign policy amongst other things (some quite possibly sinister) our rights and freedoms are going to be eroded in one way or another. Of course it'll all be dressed up as being for the greater good but you have to ask what lies behind all that. Why are we being encouraged to entrust our whole lives to an internet which patently isn't secure when so many of us don't have the slightest clue how to protect ourselves properly? Why is it becoming increasingly hard to avoid having our personal information held on computers all over the place? We're being ever more closely scrutinised and forced into a situation where our lives can effectively be examined and, if necessary, shut down at the press of a button somewhere.

For me there are two possibilities and they're not mutually exclusive. This is all the result of pure negligence and idiocy on the part of our glorious leaders around the globe or these people have collectively come to realise that in order to have a chance of protecting themselves (the chosen few) and their livelihoods from what I believe is inevitable global turmoil, they're setting us up to be controlled. What better way to control people than by leading them into a digital existence in which all the tools they need to run their lives can be shut off in an instant?

I've never been a great conspiracy theorist but increasingly over the years I've looked at what's been/being allowed to happen and find it hard to put it all down to ineptitude, especially when it's clear that with growing pressure on resources and increasing population there's going to be less to go around and the rich/powerful are not going to want to see their privileged existence eroded.

Not long ago I'd have viewed the above as science fiction but I'm fast coming to the conclusion that this is all part of a plan in which global turmoil (however it results) is being used and even created in order to bring it to fruition.

Maybe I'm still suffering the effects of anaesthesia...

Welcome to my World....