The UK is in danger of becoming a "surveillance society ruled by the technology and the politics of fear", the Liberal Democrats have warned. Home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said the government saw "no limits" to the use of technology for spying on people. The party's annual conference in Brighton voted to repeal the ID Cards Act and for the destruction of DNA samples taken from "innocent" people. It also called for "appropriate regulation" of CCTV cameras.Mr Clegg said: "I believe we are on the edge of a new surveillance society ruled by the technology and the politics of fear." He added that the government saw "no limits," adding that they were so "carried away by what is possible they have stopped asking themselves what is desirable". Only the Liberal Democrats were challenging ministers on issues such as collecting DNA from people not charged with or convicted of an offence - including schoolchildren The party also opposed the spread of CCTV and ID cards, he added. Mr Clegg said the Data Protection Act was "10 years out of date" and the Lib Dems wanted new protection for individual freedom in a digital age. Labour ministers say ID cards are needed to help control immigration (and if you believe that you will believe anything - TC) and to combat identity fraud
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Surveillance 'is a threat to UK'
The UK is in danger of becoming a "surveillance society ruled by the technology and the politics of fear", the Liberal Democrats have warned. Home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said the government saw "no limits" to the use of technology for spying on people. The party's annual conference in Brighton voted to repeal the ID Cards Act and for the destruction of DNA samples taken from "innocent" people. It also called for "appropriate regulation" of CCTV cameras.Mr Clegg said: "I believe we are on the edge of a new surveillance society ruled by the technology and the politics of fear." He added that the government saw "no limits," adding that they were so "carried away by what is possible they have stopped asking themselves what is desirable". Only the Liberal Democrats were challenging ministers on issues such as collecting DNA from people not charged with or convicted of an offence - including schoolchildren The party also opposed the spread of CCTV and ID cards, he added. Mr Clegg said the Data Protection Act was "10 years out of date" and the Lib Dems wanted new protection for individual freedom in a digital age. Labour ministers say ID cards are needed to help control immigration (and if you believe that you will believe anything - TC) and to combat identity fraud
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15 comments:
When privacy is illegal only criminals will have privacy.
If I am innocent, why does the government not trust me?
And if you subscribe to the view "If you are innocent you have nothing to fear" I reply "That's what Stefan Kisko was told"
People are concerned how this technology can be used against them. The rise in crime has led to a rise in CCTV cameras as people like to use it for legal protection and evidence if a case was to go to court as many criminals can squirm out with these PC laws. I hate to sound like a stuck record, but we have less police and the public feel the need to use CCTV as a criminal deterrent to thugs. I do not believe that CCTV should actually replace police patrolling the streets.
This blog has gone from Tameside politics to be a bit Orwellian! :)
I did not like all these surveillance cameras at first, but the crime and violent attacks on people has got really bad.
There are cameras everywhere now.
Sooner or later one of them will capture Cllr Taylor masturbating over his copy of Mein Campf.
Liam, it appears that this CCTV item has no immediate connection with Tameside, but after reading the comments from the LD spokesman on this subject I remembered a letter sent into the Advertiser in 2002 by Tameside BNP spokesman Anthony David Jones. Follow the link to see what Mr Jones had to say back in 2002, and let’s see if he still holds the same views on this subject now?
http://www.tamesideadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/81/81408_cctv_cameras_do_they_solve_crime.html
Well remembered TC. It certainly shows that whatever the reason for having these CCTV cameras may be, crime prevention is not one of them! There's nothing new happened that makes me change my mind.
'Crime prevention is not the reason for CCTV cameras'
What's your evidence for that Tonydj?
I'm afraid I've no evidence now, I had some once, on video, but I lost it.
Seriously, if you check the link on Tameside Citizens item you will see my reference to two examples of crimes committed within sight / range of CCTV cameras. So that's two crimes which were not prevented.
Then there are the instances of lost cctv footage leading to cases being thrown out of court. If these cameras are really to prevent crime how can such amateur behaviour be tolerated?
Most cctv cameras in Tameside are privately (ie non-police) controlled. Knowing how jealously the Police guard their role as the sole guardians of the public against crime I do not believe that they would be happy to see this number of cctv cameras in private hands IF THEY WERE REALLY EFFECTIVE.
Not only that but the cameras would be monitored by more professional staff than that used by TMBC. (One former staff member got 4 years for drug dealing!)
Finally cameras cannot stop crime, they can record it for Real Life Crime Shows but not stop it. Look at the 1996 IRA bomb THAT was on CCTV!
No. CCTV is about social control of the masses, it is not about crime prevention. If it was, Tameside would be crime free!
'CCTV is about social control of the masses'
What exactly do you mean by this Tonydj?
They say it is to prevent crime and protect decent law-abiding folk.
I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A SERVING PC DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT SOCIAL CONTROL.
Social Control is all about making people conform to society's cultural norms or behaviour. This means people who are not breaking the law but who are regarded as subversive by the state.
A good example of this is filming demonstrations or people entering a political meeting. When my wife and I were organising a public meeting to protest against gangs of yobs locally WE were filmed by the mobile police video van NOT the yobs.
CCTV does not cure crime, it moves it elsewhere.
see:-
Dr Clive Norris and Gary Armstrong of the Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice at Hull University, The Unforgiving Eye: CCTV surveillance in public space,
40% of people were targeted for "no obvious reason", mainly "on the basis of belonging to a particular or subcultural group". "Black people were between one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half times more likely to be surveilled than one would expect from their presence in the population".
30% of targeted surveillances on black people were protracted, lasting 9 minutes or more, compared with just 10% on white people.
People were selected primarily on the basis of "the operators negative attitudes towards male youth in general and black male youth in particular. ...if a youth was categorised as a "scrote" they were subject to prolonged and intensive surveillance."
Those deemed to be "out of time and out of place" with the commercial image of city centre streets were subjected to prolonged surveillance. "Thus drunks, beggars, the homeless, street traders were all subject to intense surveillance".
"Finally, anyone who directly challenged, by gesture or deed, the right of the cameras to monitor them was especially subject to targeting."
How do CCTV cameras make people conform to society's norms?
Fear.
Most people are frightened of authority (and given what happened to Stefan Kisko with good reason!). The thought that "They" are watching you keeps you in your place.
Don't forget, most CCTV in Tameside is not under Police control. Take for example The Arcades shopping centre. The owners want you in, shopping (ie spending money) and out. They have removed most seats, especially where the statue used to be. They wish to discourage people just sitting and chatting, hence the monitor via cctv.
But there is a flip side to the coin. Research has shown that shoppers prefer cctv because they give a (false) sense of security. The anonymous crowd is feared, but they have come to trust "Big Brother" while fearing him! Social Control!
Check the article in "Police Review"
http://info.policereview.com/article.php?jchk=1&nolog=1&c_id=5391&jlnk=lsl0110
ps, Your views on Stefan Kisko?
RE: Stefan Kisko
The police service can't get it right every time. These miscarriages of justice are few and far between. Our record is one of the best in the world.
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