UK launches massive, one-year program to archive every email

[slay]

UK launches massive, one-year program to archive every email

Mon Apr 6, 2009 4:51PM EDT

In a move that even the most nonchalant of privacy advocates is crying foul over, the UK has put into effect a European Union directive which mandates the archival of information regarding virtually all internet traffic for the next 12 months. The program formally went into effect Monday.

The data retention rules require the archival of all email traffic (the identities of the sender and receiver, but not the contents of the messages), records of VOIP telephone calls (traditional phone calls are already monitored), and information about every website visited by any computer user in the country. The rules are being pushed down "across the board to even the smallest company," as every ISP large or small will be required to collect and store the data. That data will then be accessible -- to fight "crime and terrorism," of course -- by "hundreds of public bodies" to investigate whatever crimes they see fit.

more: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/136610

"Paging George Orwell... I think your brother has arrived." :scared:

[leveymg]

1. NSA has been doing the same thing for years.

The "wall" between intelligence gathering and law enforcement was always a myth. Whatever NSA vacuums up -- everything going in and out of the US, and just about everything domestically (that gets filtered, somewhat) -- goes into a vast pool of data that intelligence and law enforcement agencies can mine freely. No warrants needed.

[slay]

2. Seems that is indeed the case

Another sad day for privacy advocates once again. Just tryin to get the word out that this shit is for real and people need to know it's happening. Hopefully it will inspire people to fight back, and not be afraid that every word they type is being monitored. If we don't protect our privacy - or at least let the governments know we will never let them use their spying against us - then we will one day end up living in a police state.

[leveymg]

3. Real criminals and terrorists aren't deterred or detected by this.

This is a collossal make-work program for defense contractors and telecoms.

[slay]

4. I figure it will mostly be used as a tool

to try and stop file sharing - but also can be used to intimidate journalists and people in power. Sooooooo not a good thing. Sigh. :(

[leveymg]

5. Worse. It detracts resources from real counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence operations

I wouldn't mind so much if the system made us safer. But, in effect, we're all less safe, because the vacuum cleaner approach just takes up so much human intelligence tracing down leads developed from profiling and social relationship analysis and there's so little pay-off, except for pizza delivery.

[slay]

6. That too - and it will cost companies HUGE amounts of money to store all that data

Or will cost the taxpayer - either way - Big waste of time and money - but with scary anti-privacy implications non the less.

[leveymg]

7. The contractors get paid for storage and data-mining. Handsomely.

NSA/DHS/CIA data services have become the biggest and (only) real growth industry in IT. Lockheed Martin doesn't make airplanes anymore - they do surveillance, profiling and predictive analysis. GOOGLE: NSA Trailblazer Groundbreaker

[slay]

8. Yeah it's pretty freaky how these people always find such disturbing ways to "make money"

Fuck um. Let um come for me. I'm ready to take on these assholes. I hope they're reading this cause I'm not kidding. I got my arguements down for all the shit I ever say/do on the internet and I would LOVE to go to court over it. The world is changing, and people aren't going to put up with being scared/bullied by govenments anymore. At least I know I'm not!

[leveymg]

9. The contractors have their own agenda and foreign policies. Not necessarily in the US interest

The telecom, power transmission, and IT industries were deeply compromised a decade ago. The Global Crossing and Enron scandals had their roots in parallel efforts by the Israelis, Saudis and Chinese to grab control over key overseas fiber optics cables and other strategic US-based global telecommunications and energy transmission networks. Many other companies were penetrated, at all levels. The business model was to take over strategic asets and extort governments. These commercial entities also had enormous intelligence value - they were perfect covers for espionage and political influence operations.

The companies running privatizated NSA/DHS/CIA surveillance systems were also deeply compromised by these and a half-dozen other foreign powers. That in itself should be a reason to call a halt to mass, warrantless surveillance operated within the U.S. by undersupervised private companies. One would think. B-):think:B-) For others, it would be a reason to legalize and perpetuate it, beyond mere economic gain.