Email and web use 'to be monitored' under new laws

[richhaddon]

Yeah.......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17576745

[mjh]

We really need to mobilise around this. This will be the legislation we've been waiting for (negatively, obviously!). We need to ensure pressure to abandon these plans appears immediately!

Any suggestions?

[peon]

Came straight here after reading this, something needs to be done. Soon.

[Kaptain]

I signed up here after looking around online to get things in place for shit to go down (breaking out the old TOR network etc) and to see what you guys are planning about it.

All I've been able to come up with so far are mass demonstrations in major cities (particularly London and Manchester) and massive campaigns for online. Nothing too fancy for the online campaign, a good number of pictures with provoking text, a couple of YouTube videos that we encourage people to mirror. Obviously we'll need to wait until the full legislation is announced to go through it and see exactly how it will affect people and then we need to get out there and tell people that their protective little online-bubble will be visible to the government upon request.

People don't like having their privacy invaded and one of the few things that will cause people to get out there and take action is if they get angry. If we're able to tell people the truth, shake them up a little and get them angry about this insane invasion of privacy then we may just be able to get it thrown out.

[Finlay_A]

There's this video that the German Pirate Party made adbout similar issues over there (English subtitles).

Link to this video

I've heard someone was working on an English adaptation. It wouldn't be a stretch to adapt to the current problems arising from UK legislation. That would be one angle.

Also, leaflets. We try and arrange street stalls in Glasgow when we can, and although local elections are dominating the agenda right now (and for the next month or so), it would be good to have something to campaign on after the elections. There is also ACTA, which seems to be back on track for a vote in the European Parliament in June (and I think another big Europe-wide protest will happen, which we should push also).

Handing out leaflets in your area, and generally raising awareness (both IRL and online) is what we need to be doing right now. During the 2010 General Election campaign (as a Pirate candidate campaigning against the DEAct among other things), I was constantly amazed at how few people knew about the DEAct. In fairness it had been kept relatively quiet due to the timing, and received little media attention. We have to make sure everyone knows about this.

My 2p

[Razeth]

Funnily enough I was about to post this on the forums.

When someone told me over the phone I thought they were joking. It's obvious we have finally hit the point of over-cautiousness.

To be honest, if I was a terrorist I would consider my work done. We've put in full body scanners to check all of our civilians, enacted legislation to deport people to the worst prisons we can and are now putting the Big Brother eye on anyone and everyone..if that isn't terrified I'm not sure what is.

If I had a say, our press team should push the BBC, get our two cents in on this topic so our disapproval goes on that page. Then, as the original poster suggested, use this as fuel to tell our prospective voters that our government wants to turn us into sheep and that innocent until proven guilty means nothing if they know everything you do whenever you do it.

Just a suggestion afterall xP

[Kaptain]

The important thing we have to do now is set up campaigns and a call to action as soon as possible. We need to spread this information quickly and everywhere as well as set up protests and demonstrations as soon as possible (preferably something big in the major cities all at the same time).

[Gavman]

We have a press statement out (it can viewed here: http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/press/releases/2012/apr/2/government-snooping-plans-outrageous-ineffective-a/ ).

Anyone who is concerned about the current plans should spread the word and make people aware of what our government is planning.

Anyone with ideas or willing to offer their help I would encourage to email campaigns@pirateparty.org.uk as these forums are not always regularly checked on an 'official' basis by Party officers.


Personally I find it so hypocritical of both LibDems and Conservatives who fought tooth and nail against similar legislation when labour tried to push the intercept modernisation programme when in power.

[Razeth]

So why aren't we releasing our own video on the topic like those happy-go-lucky german cousins of ours?

[Gavman]

So why aren't we releasing our own video on the topic like those happy-go-lucky german cousins of ours?

If you have skills to do this please feel free to email campaigns@pirateparty.org.uk and offer your skills

[richhaddon]

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32400

Here's the e-petition against it , has 3,500+ signatories atm

[Razeth]

Email I just sent to the Home Secretary of the UK, opinions? :

Rt Hon Theresa May MP,



My name is James Hunt and I live in Norfolk. I am emailing because now might be my last opportunity to do so as a free citizen.



You see, when it comes to my existence online, I have to admit I am awfully sarcastic. Before this month this never proved a problem as anyone who knows me understands my sense of humour and we all have a jolly good time chatting.



Now comes my predicament. An email which I send to just a work colleague saying something along the lines of “When I go to the meeting, I’m going to blow them all away” COULD be read as a plot to murder my bosses and run away with all their mars bars. Hell, I was going to place an easy to misunderstand statement within this email just to prove a point until I realised it would lead to bear-skins knocking on my door and intentionally winding me with a rifle butt. Due to the laws you are pushing through parliament, it gives civil servants I’ve never heard of the power to go trawling through my garbage for used boxes of cookies (Ha! Net Reference Succeeded) and misinterpret everything I’ve ever done. Not only that, but let’s say you go on Google looking for garden supplies, and you see a link for B&Q, you click it and it turns out it’s BBQParty.com or something random as what does happen when you go click-happy. All it takes is one pop-up with grossly indecent material and bam! A civil servant can leak the story “Theresa May MP enjoys Swedish Chocolate Easter Egg Porn”.



The problem is not in the internet, the problem is in humanity. Beating the internet with a stick will not teach humanity a lesson. You give people the power to snoop on the lives of anyone and all it takes is one person to abuse it to cause a privacy maelstrom.



So considering I will soon lose all anonymity (wait I’ve already told you my name, this hasn’t worked..) and soon the content of the UK’s private life will become a glossy magazine to be read, am I allowed in jest of this current breach of privacy to learn all your secrets too? Just to make this an even playing field.





Hope to hear back soon!

James Hunt

[Duke]

There seems to be some confusion at the moment as to what these proposals involve, and how further they go from the existing law. Unfortunately, we won't know either way until we get to look at the actual proposed legislation, and compare it with the RIPA.

Of course, as that mess with PACE last year showed, what's in the legislation may have little bearing on how it is actually implemented.

[Razeth]

There seems to be some confusion at the moment as to what these proposals involve, and how further they go from the existing law. Unfortunately, we won't know either way until we get to look at the actual proposed legislation, and compare it with the RIPA.

Of course, as that mess with PACE last year showed, what's in the legislation may have little bearing on how it is actually implemented.

By my interpretation from released news about it, access to any personal information an ISP can record, such as internet history, email headers etc.

One thing I can't be sure of right now is whether they need a warrant or not, I assumed they did but the BBC is now stating otherwise..

[aramoro]

This just seems to be a pure extension of the 2009 EU directive on retaining data by extending it to Skype and Twitter etc. ISP's already record all your browsing and emails and have done for the past 3 years. I can't see anything which says you get this warrant free access to that information, all the sources seem to be saying 'It's reported that....'

James Hunt, your email is purile and ignorable. It sensationalises a bit of legislation we actually know nothing about. Also you should be writing to your MP, not the Home Secretary as I doubt that will make it past the spam filter.

[Razeth]

You think if I was writing a sensible email I'd spend the whole time talking of mars bars and easter egg porn? To be honest I was filling a gap of time with doing something I'd find humourous. Anything can be judged as ignorable, your comment provides key points but I can still choose to ignore it's content.

Simply put, I cannot complain as I did ask for opinions but it appears you're giving my email far more credit than it was actually due. Any response I get from that email is sure to put a smile on my face so I personally don't think I've lost anything, including my morals, by sending it.

Either way, thank you for your constructive criticism.

[Kaptain]

Just wondering if anyone has made any progress with posters or image macros or something with this.