Surveillance Britain (part xx)

No huge surprise to anyone who has read my earlier pieces on this matter but today I see that the Lords constitution committee have said that electronic surveillance and the collection of personal data are "pervasive" in British society and threaten to undermine democracy. The committee gave two examples that constituted threats to privacy: the proliferation of CCTV cameras and the growth of the DNA database. The committee recommended that those subject to unlawful surveillance should be compensated while the policy of DNA retention should be re-thought.


Shami Chakrabarti, direcor of Liberty is quoted as saying:

"Liberty's postbag suggests that the House of Lords is more in touch with public concerns that our elected government.... Over the past seven years we've been told 'nothing to hide, nothing to fear' but a stream of data bungles and abuses of power suggest that even the innocent have a lot to fear."

Shami is right, but this Labour government like to keep tabs on all of us and would like to know what we are doing and saying at all times 24/7 - just in case.

To call this Labour government "Orwellian" is an understatement.


Read my previous entries under labour surveillance for some other examples.