Suddenly it's 1984

Suddenly it's 1984
Divine Right of Kings invoked.
Always in awe of David Amerland's courteous rationality.

#websecurity   #personalfreedom  

Originally shared by David Amerland

UK Authoritie's 'Divine Right' to Data Access

Just so you understand, the all-rights data grab that the UK government proposed, pushed by Teresa May, invoked (in its logic) the Divine Right of Kings (https://goo.gl/afiLNL) under the pretext of fighting the good fight 'against terror' (yeah that chestnut) which would, of course result in all of us being guilty until found innocent (which is why we would be under 24/7 all-year-round surveillance of everything we did). 

Of course we have the counter-argument to any objection we might bring up which was perfected under the Stalinist years in the former USSR and goes something like this: "You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide". 

Here's one rather large-ish nail in the coffin to that line of countering our objections: http://goo.gl/O463KE. 

What we want are: 

1. Greater transparency - we want to see what's being done, who is doing it and why. 

2. Accountability - the lines of authority have to be clear. We need to know how someone has the authority they say they have, what limits exist to that authority and how can we challenge it.

3. Empowerment - not only do we need to be able to circumscribe the powers of the State but also actively challenge areas where insufficient accountability and transparency exist.