Sign The Pledge

August 18, 2005 1:53 PM

Electronic rights in the UK A foundation is being set up in Britain to defend our citizens in digital information matters, in a similar way to the US model. This is scary stuff -- the government is trying to push through a data retention proposal which would make all ISPs and telecos retain communications traffic data for up to three years and there are also moves afoot to criminalise copyright infringement -- approaches which are also gaining support in the EU. So thank goodness people are signing the pledge to support the new British EFF.
posted by feelinglistless (15 comments total)

With ECHELON does it really matter if UK's ISP/telcos store data or not?
posted by Rothko at 1:59 PM on August 18, 2005

... would make all ISPs and telecos retain communications traffic data for up to three years ...

Hahahaha....!

And does this also provide said ISP's and telcos with funds to buy the huge physical warehouses where these petabytes of data get stored?
posted by odinsdream at 2:09 PM on August 18, 2005

>A foundation is being set up in Britain to defend our citizens in digital information matters

Little point... you are not a citizen, you are a subject. Maybe a little bit of work needs to be done on this stuff, and what odinsdream said.
posted by gsb at 2:20 PM on August 18, 2005

With ECHELON does it really matter if UK's ISP/telcos store data or not?

Exactly my thought Rothko, but then again the NSA probably doesn't want the local cops bothering then whenever they want to snoop on a perp.

let them bother the ISPs.
posted by three blind mice at 2:20 PM on August 18, 2005

Actually it makes sense now. Why pay for storing surveillance data when I can write laws to make the ISPs do it for me for free?
posted by Rothko at 2:23 PM on August 18, 2005

Rothko, odinsdream: one proposal that will be put forward in front of MEPs posits that the ISPs will be remunerated for storing details of their users email conversations, as will telcos for recorded the position of their customers' phones for a year. AOL said that it believed in the UK alone, the cost would be in the tens of millions. I don't think the ISPs believe for a moment that the government will pay all the costs; and the taxpayer will pay either way.

gsb: No, really, UK people are citizens. It's a bit like the argument about "you're a democracy" "no, we're a republic". Actually, the terms aren't as specific and exclusive as people, especially on slashdot, think. UK folk get to be citizens and subjects too, when we're happy about that.

And if the fun gets a bit out of hand, we chop off a few heads, and get a new Royal who knows their place from the big Pomp And Circumstance Cupboard in the corner.
posted by ntk at 2:32 PM on August 18, 2005

ntk: thanks for that -- I was very careful with my choice of words. 'subject' feels like it has hidden meanings.
posted by feelinglistless at 2:42 PM on August 18, 2005

ntk, I've seen the light.
posted by gsb at 3:40 PM on August 18, 2005

It's ntk.. I feel like I'm in esteemed company. (But why did you stop doing your newsletter weekly. Now all I have to look forward to is popBitch [end whine])

I signed up for this. There needs to be an organisation like the EFF in the UK, and this is a step towards it. It's not just about ISP's, it's about copyright and ID cards and a whole host of important things.

If you care about this stuff and you've the money, you need to sign up for this.

/ he says - proudly wearing his ntk Elite t-shirt.
posted by seanyboy at 4:05 PM on August 18, 2005

I've signed up. This is something the UK desperately needs.
posted by salmacis at 2:17 AM on August 19, 2005

Italy's taken it one step further than the ISP's & telecos with a new terrorism law. Shoved in amognst a bunch of other dodgy 'look what we're doing to combat terrorism' bullshit we have:

31 luglio 2005, L. 155/05 - Articolo 7

which states more or less that any business with 3 or more computers connected to the internet must:

1. within 3060 days of the law's passing*: request a license from the local questura (police station)
2. within 15 days of the law's passing: the owner of said business must
   1. monitor user use
   2. archive relevant user data
      1. including full ID information users of publically available terminals

So basically, Joe Owner who wants to offer Internet access as a side service for customers or has employees who must be connected to the Internet to work has to monitor & log each & every user.

A similar law was in place previously for Internet Cafes, but now the scope has been expanded in the name of terrorismo. No license or no data? Your business gets shut down. Not fined: closed

If you detect any fumes coming from this post, that would be due to the asterik above. See, the law wasn't even passed yet & police were already begining to hassle businesses about their 'Internet cafe license.' And the law I looked up last week said 30 days, not 60. But if you go to the questura to request a license/details for obtaining one they don't have the forms or requirements yet.
posted by romakimmy at 3:03 AM on August 19, 2005

seanyboy writes "why did you stop doing your newsletter weekly"

If i remember correctly, the phrase *essential maintenance* over the summer was used to explain the bi-weekly appearance of the newsletter.

Agreed on the need for a UK EFF. And on the proud wearing of a ntk Elite t-shirt!
posted by asok at 4:14 AM on August 19, 2005

Oh, that was why it went monthly. *Goes back to sleep*
posted by asok at 4:16 AM on August 19, 2005

You know, if we say something suitably nasty about ntk, they should flag it in the "registered at the post office as..." section.

So, I think ntk is full of misguided techo-hippies who somehow think the world should be both binary and fair. And written in Perl.

?

?

waits...
posted by seanyboy at 6:11 AM on August 19, 2005

i'm not sure that'll fit.
posted by ntk at 2:44 AM on August 21, 2005