If you live in the UK, you can kiss ya online privacy goodbye, ‘cos the government just introduced the gnarliest surveillance laws ever.
The new legislation will force internet providers to store every customer’s browsing history for up to a year. We’re not talking just metadata either, various government bodies will be able to see exactly the kind of filthy shit you’ve been looking at. The bill has been aptly dubbed, “the snoopers charter”.
But wait, there’s more! British intelligence agencies will also be able to hack into citizen’s computers and devices without their knowledge if they think they’ve been a dodgy bloke or blokette. Journalists and medical staff, among some other professions, will be have some protection from these laws.
Jim Killock, director of the Open Rights Group, says the blatant government overreach is the “most extreme surveillance law ever passed in a democracy”. Yeah, that feels like a pretty fair assessment.
Understandably, human rights groups are pissed off, stating the new laws are too vague and more importantly, are killing the very concept of their right to privacy. The proposed safeguards of a ‘double lock’ system (requiring permission from both the secretary of state and an independent judicial commissioner) don’t really do much to ease the anxiety, either.
Best of luck, British chumps. Mind ya porn history.
Source: Zdnet.com.
Photo: The Simpsons.
