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: Surveillance
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…
Prominent Iranian journalist implicates Nokia in his arrest
Issa Saharkhiz, a prominent journalist and former senior Culture Ministry official, has told his family in a short phone call from prison that several of his ribs were broken during his arrest in northern Iran on July 4 in the postelection crackdown. The 56-year-old Saharkhiz has told his family the authorities traced him through his…