Investigatory powers act who will access my data?

[techguyone]

The Government has replied to the petition.

The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Repeal the new Surveillance laws (Investigatory Powers Act)”.

Government responded:

The Investigatory Powers Act dramatically increases transparency around the use of investigatory powers. It protects both privacy and security and underwent unprecedented scrutiny before becoming law.

The Government is clear that, at a time of heightened security threat, it is essential our law enforcement, security and intelligence services have the powers they need to keep people safe.

The Investigatory Powers Act transforms the law relating to the use and oversight of Investigatory powers. It strengthens safeguards and introduces world-leading oversight arrangements.

The Act does three key things. First, it brings together powers already available to law enforcement and the security and intelligence agencies to obtain communications and data about communications. It makes these powers – and the safeguards that apply to them – clear and understandable.

Second, it radically overhauls the way these powers are authorised and overseen. It introduces a ‘double-lock’ for the most intrusive powers, including interception and all of the bulk capabilities, so warrants require the approval of a Judicial Commissioner. And it creates a powerful new Investigatory Powers Commissioner to oversee how these powers are used.

Third, it ensures powers are fit for the digital age. The Act makes a single new provision for the retention of internet connection records in order for law enforcement to identify the communications service to which a device has connected. This will restore capabilities that have been lost as a result of changes in the way people communicate.

Public scrutiny

The Bill was subject to unprecedented scrutiny prior to and during its passage.
The Bill responded to three independent reports: by David Anderson QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation; by the Royal United Services Institute’s Independent Surveillance Review Panel; and by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament. All three of those authoritative independent reports agreed a new law was needed.

The Government responded to the recommendations of those reports in the form of a draft Bill, published in November 2015. That draft Bill was submitted for pre-legislative scrutiny by a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament. The Intelligence and Security Committee and the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee conducted parallel scrutiny. Between them, those Committees received over 1,500 pages of written submissions and heard oral evidence from the Government, industry, civil liberties groups and many others. The recommendations made by those Committees informed changes to the Bill and the publication of further supporting material.

A revised Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 1 March, and completed its passage on 16 November, meeting the timetable for legislation set by Parliament during the passage of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014. Over 1,700 amendments to the Bill were tabled and debated during this time.

The Government has adopted an open and consultative approach throughout the passage of this legislation, tabling or accepting a significant number of amendments in both Houses of Parliament in order to improve transparency and strengthen privacy protections. These included enhanced protections for trade unions and journalistic and legally privileged material, and the introduction of a threshold to ensure internet connection records cannot be used to investigate minor crimes.

Privacy and Oversight

The Government has placed privacy at the heart of the Investigatory Powers Act. The Act makes clear the extent to which investigatory powers may be used and the strict safeguards that apply in order to maintain privacy.

A new overarching ‘privacy clause’ was added to make absolutely clear that the protection of privacy is at the heart of this legislation. This privacy clause ensures that in each and every case a public authority must consider whether less intrusive means could be used, and must have regard to human rights and the particular sensitivity of certain information. The powers can only be exercised when it is necessary and proportionate to do so, and the Act includes tough sanctions – including the creation of new criminal offences – for those misusing the powers.
The safeguards in this Act reflect the UK’s international reputation for protecting human rights. The unprecedented transparency and the new safeguards – including the ‘double lock’ for the most sensitive powers – set an international benchmark for how the law can protect both privacy and security.

Home Office

So there you go, all of the agencies are 'law enforcement, security and intelligence services' related, bet you didn't know the Food standards Agency was part of the Secret Services did you...


So basically you suck it up, unless of course you have a VPN, if you do, then fully expect to be told that only people like pedos and terrorists use VPN's, just like everyone who uses TOR is the same now.

Once that stage is over, fully expect that VPN's to be declared illegal unless of course you're in Business or the Govt.

We will all end up having to falsify library membership details and sign on there to get any kind of privacy. Do Internet cafes still exist?

Like everything, there are the two extreme opposing sides, the Govt, who would have you believe its all rosy and above board, and will only ever be used against terrorism and serious crime, and the tin foil hat brigade who would have you believe everyone with access is spying on all of us, all of the time.

The reality (IMO) will be that the normal internet browsing public (like us) will probably never see any difference in our lives, we'll just carry on as we were. Anyone browsing my site history would get very bored (a cure for insomnia perhaps, nothing more).

[techguyone]

I can't really agree with your view Paul, there's just too much scope for abuse. If they'd kept it to Police/SiS/GCHQ perhaps, but there's an extraordinary list of agencies in that mix now.

I never really considered myself as a tin foil hat member but the point is that there now a lot of 'non security forces' agencies who can now trawl through your data - without a warrant, this also increases exponentially the very real risk of people hacking your ISP or any other of aforementioned agencies.

We've already had form with misuse of this act's predecessor RIPA, you'd have to be a bit naive not to consider that this will not happen again, our current lot of MP's are seemingly unable to even carry documents without the contents being visible to photographers so I don't hold out much hope that any 'rigorous checks' will be adequate, notwithstanding the fact that they don't really seem to grasp technology at all.

'Oh we notice you look at a lot of self harm sites Mr Techguyone - we felt Social Services should be called as you have children'. (I support suicidal people online)

'We noticed you look at a lot of car modification sites/racing sites - we feel you are now a higher risk so will be adjusting your car insurance premiums accordingly.'

Ok so made up perhaps, but you can see where I'm heading - and now unlike before the tools are in place to be able to accomplish this kind of thing.

[Taf]

There was bound to be something else being sneaked in with this...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/11...act_backdoors/

[techguyone]

There's a lot of stuff sneaking through right now, it looks like the politicians are very ready to exploit our apathetic population, especially as they've used Brexit & US Elections to do the equivalent of 'look over there!' whilst whisking this through.

Looks like we'll be the new puritanical UK

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by techguyone

Looks like we'll be the new puritanical UK

And thingy shaped vegetables no doubt.

puritans_r.jpg

So much for petitions ...

The Petitions Committee decided not to debate the petition you signed – “Repeal the new Surveillance laws (Investigatory Powers Act)”

The Petitions Committee has decided not to schedule a debate on this petition. When it decides which petitions should be debated, the Committee looks at whether the subject has recently been debated by the House of Commons.

The Investigatory Powers Bill was debated on many occasions in Parliament before it became law. You can read all the debates here:
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/...rs/stages.html

Before it was introduced into Parliament, the Bill was investigated by a Committee of MPs and Members of the House of Lords, who heard evidence and produced a report with recommendations about the Bill. You can find out about the work of that Committee here:

https://www.parliament.uk/business/c...y-powers-bill/

The petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/173199

Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament

The public don't seem to care.

I did email my MP about it..got a reply which basically is the usual politician response without answering my question.

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by Damien

The public don't seem to care.

Ignorance is bliss. They're like a frog in a pan of water on the stove.

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

I did email my MP about it..got a reply which basically is the usual politician response without answering my question.

Sadly as we know many of them are experts at that.

[techguyone]

I'd love to see this debated.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/174475

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Ignorance is bliss. They're like a frog in a pan of water on the stove.

Yup. People follow the 'you don't have to worry if you've done nothing wrong' line of thinking and it's probably mostly true. No one really cares what most of us do online. However it's foolish to give future governments the tools with which to oppress us and I think people don't quite understand the vast array of organisations which can have access to your internet and communication history without a warrant.

This will be abused or, worse, leaked and at that point the public might wake up.

I already signed such a petition..

I got this email.

Dear Margaret James,

The Petitions Committee decided not to debate the petition you signed – “Repeal the new Surveillance laws (Investigatory Powers Act)”

The Petitions Committee has decided not to schedule a debate on this petition. When it decides which petitions should be debated, the Committee looks at whether the subject has recently been debated by the House of Commons.

The Investigatory Powers Bill was debated on many occasions in Parliament before it became law. You can read all the debates here:
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/...rs/stages.html

Before it was introduced into Parliament, the Bill was investigated by a Committee of MPs and Members of the House of Lords, who heard evidence and produced a report with recommendations about the Bill. You can find out about the work of that Committee here:

https://www.parliament.uk/business/c...y-powers-bill/

The petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/173199

Find out more about the Petitions Committee: https://petition.parliament.uk/help#petitions-committee

Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament

Can't see another getting any better action.

[techguyone]

Maybe not, but at least you know that you expressed your views.

Moving on...

Given that ISP's are supposedly now responsible for storing this data, does any VM employee know when Virgin will begin this?

Wonder how long it'll be for any costs incurred for said data storage are passed back to us, in effect paying for our own surveillance wheeeeeee.