By Nick Heath, 6 February 2009 09:28
NEWS
New powers are needed to combat a culture of "pervasive" surveillance that has seen the UK become the most spied upon country in the world, the Lords said today.
The UK is now watched by more about four million CCTV cameras and details of seven per cent of the population is held in the National DNA Database (NDNAD) more than any other country, according to chairman of the House of Lords Constitution Committee Lord Goodlad.
At the same time national databases designed to hold personal information on nearly every UK citizen are being set up across Whitehall, from the NHS Care Records Service to the ID cards National Identity Register, according to a report by the committee released today.
Meanwhile businesses and banks are gathering data on the public from CCTV, web browsing behaviour, CRM systems and tracking the use of loyalty cards, the report says, adding that the government also wants access to this data, it added.
"Every time we make a telephone call, send an email, browse the internet, or even walk down our local high street, our actions may be monitored and recorded," the report said.
Goodlad said in a statement: "There can be no justification for this gradual but incessant creep towards every detail about us being recorded and pored over by the state."
Security from A to Z
Click on the links below to find out more...
A is for Antivirus
B is for Botnets
C is for CMA
D is for DDoS
E is for Extradition
F is for Federated identity
G is for Google
H is for Hackers
I is for IM
J is for Jaschan (Sven)
K is for Kids
L is for Love Bug
M is for Microsoft
N is for Neologisms
O is for Orange
P is for Passwords
Q is for Questions
R is for Rootkits
S is for Spyware
T is for Two-factor authentication
U is for USB sticks/devices
V is for Virus variants
W is for Wi-fi
X is for OS X
Y is for You
Z is for Zero-day
Citing instances where councils have spied on citizens when investigating littering, the report says that any victims of "unlawful surveillance" by a local authority should receive compensation and that local authority snooping under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act should be monitored by the courts.
Any future surveillance or data processing scheme suggested by Whitehall should be closely scrutinised by a dedicated parliamentary body and the information commissioner before it goes ahead, the report said.
This should be paired with legally binding guidelines on the operation of all CCTV systems it added.
The report also said the government should act swiftly to comply with last December's ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that innocent people's DNA should be removed from the NDNAD, a decision that could see about 850,000 people's details deleted.
The information commissioner should also be able to carry out unannounced spot checks on private sector organisations to check they are complying with the data protection act, the report recommended.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The government has been clear that where surveillance or data collection will impact on privacy they should only be used where it is necessary and proportionate.
"This provides law enforcement agencies with the tools to protect the public as well as ensuring Government has the ability to provide effective public services while ensuring there are effective safeguards and a solid legal framework that protects civil liberties."
Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, said: "This report reflects a sea change in public opinion. The language is robust and unequivocal about the need to address surveillance as a matter of urgency.
"Hopefully this will pave the way to overturn the parts of the Coroners and Justice Bill that will give government ministers the ability to demand data sharing between organisations."
Comments
There are 5 comments. Join the discussion
1. Chris Tolmie
At last - we are waking up to what has been happening. Add to this the 2003 Licencng Act which limits public protests (think of all the 60's protest songs); the ratio of CCTV per head of population - some now with gait technology; the ID card. Many people have been concerned about Loyalty cards. The real issue is a centrist government who forgot to read Orwell's 1984.
2. Charles Smith
If the security officer of a Company decides to install a sophisticated video surveillance and recording system on the company premises he will have to justify the cost of installation and operation.
Our "Public Servants" fail to account for the cost of their Surveillance systems in an open and transparent manner. If those costs were exposed the public would be better able to assess the public worth of such schemes.
3. Karen Challinor
well done the Lords and good luck with the report
I just have two words to say on the matter
"Parliament Act"
in short as long as Labour are in power you guys can say what you want, but any serious opposition to government policy will be met with the threat of the abolition of the lords
and as soon as that happens we all know any semblance of resistance will evaporate just like it did with the ID Card Act 2006
but thanks anyway
4. Jeremy Wickins
It isn't just the State - look at today's article on illegitimate use of social networking sites by employers. Taken with this article, it seems that there are no longer any barriers behind which a person can legitimately hide. There is no difference in the minds of some people between "public" and "private". The fact that the State gives out the message that this blurring of public/private lives is acceptable just encourages companies and individuals to violate privacy with no justification.
Like Karen, I wish the upper House the best on this, but feel that they first need to find a way of getting the British public to grow a backbone and actually start protesting about these issues.
5. RM
Yes, I agree with Jeremy. We need to start making it clear to govt that they are our servants, not our masters. We need to start in small (but annoying) ways. If you're unhappy with something the local council has done, query it, in writing - and see if you can get a couple of like minded friends to do the same. Query everything you can with your MP - and complain if s/he fails to respond. Keep up the pressure & chivvy all officialdom, as they have tried to chivvy us.
Chris, they did read 1984. Unfortunately they thought it was an instruction manual.