Another UK council has been reportedly misusing anti-terrorism law to snoop on residents. This time, it’s Merton Council. According to a report in Your Local Guardian: Anti-terror laws have been used by Merton Council to snoop on residents, for petty offences ranging from breaching smoking bans to fly-tipping, 39 times since 2006, the Wimbledon Guardian…
Category: Govt
CDT report on privacy concerns surrounding “Einstein”
The Center for Democracy & Technology today released a report outlining a series of privacy and legal questions that surround the government computer monitoring system known as “Einstein.” The report calls on the Administration to release information about the legal authority for Einstein, the role of the nation’s top spy agency, the National Security Agency,…
ICO slams govt plans for accessing communications data
Privacy watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) believes that Government plans to force ISPs and telecoms firms to gather more communications data do not adequately protect privacy. The ICO has said that the plans are a “step change” in people’s relationship with the state, and that they could damage both the privacy of individuals and…
EPIC: keep ban on persistent identifiers on gov sites
The Office of Management and Budget is seeking public comments on the use of Web tracking techniques on federal government websites. Government agencies are currently prohibited from using persistent identifiers, such as cookies, except when there is a compelling need. EPIC, in comments to the President’s Office of Science & Technology, said that the government…