Question for our UK members

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Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Is this for real? Click

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:33 pm

Yup

(even though I'm Irish)

This has been in the works for a while now. Already there is a database of every phonecall made from Ireland to England during the height of 'The Troubles' and possibly emails as it's been a while since that was in the news.

Master Baiter Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 146

It's proposed, but I can't see it going through without protest.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:33 pm

Wouldn't surprise me. Similar measures are being discussed in Australia.

Quote:

AUSTRALIA will join China in implementing mandatory censoring of the internet under plans put forward by the Federal Government.

The revelations emerge as US tech giants Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, and a coalition of human rights and other groups unveiled a code of conduct aimed at safeguarding online freedom of speech and privacy.

The government has declared it will not let internet users opt out of the proposed national internet filter.

The plan was first created as a way to combat child pronography and adult content, but could be extended to include controversial websites on euthanasia or anorexia.

Communications minister Stephen Conroy revealed the mandatory censorship to the Senate estimates committee as the Global Network Initiative, bringing together leading companies, human rights organisations, academics and investors, committed the technology firms to "protect the freedom of expression and privacy rights of their users".

Mr Conroy said trials were yet to be carried out, but "we are talking about mandatory blocking, where possible, of illegal material."

The net nanny proposal was originally going to allow Australians who wanted uncensored access to the web the option of contacting their internet service provider to be excluded from the service.

Human Rights Watch has condemned internet censorship, and argued to the US Senate "there is a real danger of a Virtual Curtain dividing the internet, much as the Iron Curtain did during the Cold War, because some governments fear the potential of the internet, (and) want to control it"

Groups including the System Administrators Guild of Australia and Electronic Frontiers Australia have attacked the proposal, saying it would unfairly restrict Australians' access to the web, slow internet speeds and raise the price of internet access.

EFA board member Colin Jacobs said it would have little effect on illegal internet content, including child pornography, as it would not cover file-sharing networks.

"If the Government would actually come out and say we're only targeting child pornography it would be a different debate," he said.

The technology companies' move, which follows criticism that the companies were assisting censorship of the internet in nations such as China, requires them to narrowly interpret government requests for information or censorship and to fight to minimise cooperation.

The initiative provides a systematic approach to "work together in resisting efforts by governments that seek to enlist companies in acts of censorship and surveillance that violate international standards", the participants said.

In a statement, Yahoo co-founder and chief executive Jerry Yang welcomed the new code of conduct.

"These principles provide a valuable roadmap for companies like Yahoo operating in markets where freedom of expression and privacy are unfairly restricted," he said.

"Yahoo was founded on the belief that promoting access to information can enrich people's lives, and the principles we unveil today reflect our determination that our actions match our values around the world."

Yahoo was thrust into the forefront of the online rights issue after the Californian company helped Chinese police identify cyber dissidents whose supposed crime was expressing their views online.

China exercises strict control over the internet, blocking sites linked to Chinese dissidents, the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement, the Tibetan government-in-exile and those with information on the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.

A number of US companies, including Microsoft, Cisco, Google and Yahoo, have been hauled before the US Congress in recent years and accused of complicity in building the "Great Firewall of China".

The Australian Christian Lobby, however, has welcomed the proposals.

Managing director Jim Wallace said the measures were needed.
"The need to prevent access to illegal hard-core material and child pornography must be placed above the industry's desire for unfettered access," Mr Wallace said.
__________________

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:40 pm

Hey they might already be doing it, but forget to mention it before. I bet homeland security is doing it already.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:50 pm

and who will protest about it???

some of this is already happening in the UK anyway.its just being made 'legal' shall we say.
the scariest part is just wait til some one 'loses' all that info!!!!!!

this is all part of a major plan to be hatched by 2012.

Evil or Very Mad

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:50 pm

bill2 wrote:

I bet homeland security is doing it already.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27107196/

Only did a quick search but the original story I read was of the linguists passing around tapes of VERY personal calls between soldiers and their partners back home, if they have that much disregard for their own troops then the ordinary citizen does not stand a chance.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Yikes! The CIA probably does that to us now (echelon), but they at least have the courtesy of not telling us about it. Ignorance is bliss I suppose.

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:25 am

Unfortunately this has actually been around for a while on a global scale. The Aussies blew the whistle on it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/503224.stm

Baiting Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 2922

@PF

I was going to mention M3nw!th H!77

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:40 am

/\/\ I have some cool pics of my old Norton outside there. probably illegal. I gathyer the US monitors net and phone traffic from that place, but they hardly advertise.

I'll beleive the UK black box story when it happens, they've threatened us with ID cards for years, but they are so imcompetent with our data in the meantime, that it never comes to anything.

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:29 am

You have to love us, America and Britain won't say anything but we'll go on blabbering. Laughing

Like just recently Rudd's office leaked a convo he had with Mr Bush, something about not knowing what the G20 summit is:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/04/2410316.htm?section=justin

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 1:26 pm

Our digital phone system in the UK (called system x) can already do some quite amazing and hair raising tricks. My cousin worked on the software many years ago and told me all about it. The authorities need a court order to access the info collected though.

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 1:27 pm

That is a very scary step to take. Being the paranoid conspiracy theorist I already am, this does not help things one bit.

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

Jesus.

Talk about an invasion of privacy. No doubt these measures will come into force, and terrorists/criminals will be able to find another way to communicate. Waste of money, time and digital space. Spying on your own people isn't a great way to win votes. I doubt it will do anything for the security of the country.

Not saying any more, 'cause I'd go political Wink

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:04 pm

Seeing as there will be millions, nay billions of phone calls, text messages, and emails being stored, I doubt that your Sky Pron shopping order / horny chat with girlfriend / porn browsing session / dodgy ebay deal is of the slightest interest to GCHQ. They only have so many employees, and they tend to prioritise things a tad.

The information will be released (as Windy said) under a court order only, where somebody is of extreme interest to the Security Services.

If it makes you feel any better, mobile phone traffic has been analysed by GCHQ for a couple of decades now.... no one here has ended up in jail yet have they?

I've nothing to hide, so I don't really care.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 720

If I were a cross dresser, not saying I am, could they find out by your shopping habits on line Shocked

Baiting Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 2922

"I Love Big Brother"

Just getting some practise in

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:17 pm

These stories make me weep with laughter and/or dismay.

I think these systems are designed more for the benefit of the computer software companies than any actual benefit they could provide. We could make a whole new thread devoted to disastrous computer systems bought and paid for by the UK government that have never worked and lie in ruins - traffic control, UK Inland Revenue, CSA, the Health Service just to name a few - and they want to tackle the whole traffic of the internet ?

Do me a favour Rolling Eyes

I heard about 'cloud' recently that various computer companies are interested in, which is the facility to put all your data into massive facilities, currently being built around the world. That sounds like a good idea, seeing as I recently lost a pc, but managed to retrieve the data, but that's only to contain data you wish to save, not the ENTIRE contents of your data stream.

Imagine if you have a couple of kids doing on-line gaming for a few hours a week. You'd have to store it all, otherwise it could be used to transmit subversive messages. Just trying to sort out the contents of my 50+ baiting boxes and mass mailings would take a dedicated team a year to unravel.

Whoever had the idea is an imbecile, though the greater worry is that they hold positions of responsibility in our government. It's symptomatic of 'Goldfish Syndrome' - empty heads and open mouths.

I just read on teletext that the man in charge of the government department licencing night club security staff had just resigned as his own staff had not been properly security vetted - which is like the recent scandal when it was discovered that a significant number of cleaners at the Houses of Parliament were illegal immigrants - in other words had no security vetting and could have been terrorists.

Rant over. Very Happy

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:44 pm

^^Interesting point you raise, what the hell would the authorities make of a load of baiters boxes Laughing

Anyway, for the ultra paranoid there's always Tor and Skype.

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:56 pm

Mugatu wrote:

I've nothing to hide, so I don't really care.

Yeah. Only wrong doers need to be worried. I mean, they can search whatever they want of mine without my permission, since I am not planning any terrorist plots. (all tongue in cheek) Laughing

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:27 pm

I've just thought of John Cleese at The Ministry of Silly Walks/Internet Traffic finding a load of anti-terrorist baiter forms. Laughing

Soon they will be part of every government job application

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:35 pm

@Rodus

http://www.fiercevoip.com/story/skype-back-door/2008-07-25

http://government.zdnet.com/?p=2449

Be careful out there fella! Wink

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:35 pm

Anyone remember Carnivore?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivore_program

Me and a friend in the US spent a whole week trying to find out if there was a keyword that would activate it. But nothing. And in the end, I got tired of typing "Osama, aeroplane and bomb".

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:36 pm

@S00I

But were you typing those words from a cave in Helmand province?

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