British Government Want To Spy On Your Social Media

Big Brother is watching 

Britain’s Home Secretary is trying to push through new spying powers to access social media profiles and email accounts. Theresa May employed the usual fear tactics on the general public as she declared that it is a “matter of life and death,” and she strongly dismissed claims that the government wishes to spy on its citizens.

Source: wired.co.uk

The British Home Office is calling for a change in the law that would radically expand the powers to monitor the general public. The communications data bill, has be labelled by opponents as “the snooper charter,” and if the changes go through, it would allow the government access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

In addition to the three main companies, the authorities will also be allowed access to Facetime and Skype, leaving the individual’s private life in tatters.

Theresa May is now arguing that social media platforms have become a “safe haven” for organised crime and terrorism, and she is declaring that the government must act to counter the new threat.

“The world is a dangerous place and the United Kingdom needs the capabilities to defend its interests and protect its citizens.” She went on to say that the National Crime Agency has been forced to drop at least 20 cases in the last six months due to missing communications data. May said that at least 13 of those cases were “threat-to-life” scenarios involving children.

“We must keep on making the case until we get the changes we need.”

Luckily for the citizens of the UK, the “snooper’s charter” was blocked by coalition partners the Liberal Democrats last year, who argued that the bill was an affront to privacy. May is in objection to this argument and she says that the government is missing out on a valuable resource in the fight against criminality.

“Governments have always always reserved the power to monitor communications and to collect data about communications when it is necessary and proportionate to do so.”

Source: dailytrojan.com

During her speech, May referenced American-spy-turned whistleblower Edward Snowden. She was quick to mention his allegations that the government was unlawfully spying on citizens, and she slammed claims that the spy agency GCHQ was taking advantage of loopholes in legislation to tap into social media as “nonsense.”

In response to May’s ramblings, acting director of privacy group Big Brother Watch, Emma Carr, said the Home Secretary was trying to force the unpopular changes.

“Yet again the Home Secretary is clashing with the broad political consensus that no new powers should be introduced until a full independent review into the currently available surveillance legislation and oversight mechanisms has taken place,” Carr told Forbes.

Edward Snowden sparked a world-wide scandal in 2013 when he released classified information, exposing the spy activity of the US and its allies. It was found that the US National Security Agency joined forces with the UK’s GCHQ to collect and gather metadata in massive quantities.

Once again the UK government is trying to steal the privacy rights of millions of citizens across the United Kingdom. Hopefully this legislation is never going to become a reality, but I for one would not bet against it. Who knows, they could be watching you right now.

Alex Smith

Alex is an English Literature and Sociology undergraduate whose love for written word has led him to write about some obscure topics in his time. Currently a content writer at Social Media Frontiers, be sure to follow him @AlexSatSMF.

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