Incisive-View

Defend Your Freedom
by M.Hussein


Almost every day we hear new stories in the papers about so-called ‘security measures’ being taken by our government in an attempt to combat terrorism and crime. What we should realise is that these measures, far from effectively tackling terrorism, do nothing but infringe on our civil liberties and our rights to privacy. A small compromise is understandable and maybe even expected; but not when it gets to a point where everyone is under strict surveillance and treated like a suspect. The British nation is walking slowly towards a totalitarian state where all aspects of our public and private life i.e. what we buy, what we eat, what we say and where we go; all are known and regulated by the authorities.

We only need to look at our counterparts in America to get a glimpse of what could further happen here on UK shores: Already millions of people in the U.S have had their telephone conversations monitored by the government without any knowledge of the courts (something our current government has the powers to do under the RIPA act of 2000); a blacklist of names flagged by computer systems ensures that it is almost impossible for certain people to travel freely using air transport around the country – there have even been cases where pensioners have found their way on to this list simply for being outspoken against the war; bank transactions are being monitored by the state; foreign nationals are having to give up their biometrics in order to enter the country… the list is almost endless.

Far from being a situation where “if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear”, the reality is one of an insecure government - remember the frequent and atrocious false positives and flawed “intelligence"? - Jean Charles De Menezes, Forrest Gate, Birmingham Six etc. Yet, the government is seeking ever more expansive and intrusive powers, playing up the general public's artificially heightened fears (the Heathrow airport scare, the "liquid bomb" scare etc); the government, as of 2000's Anti-Terrorism Act, already had the requisite legislation (indeed according to many experts far more than necessary for combating the problem).

To judge the provisions of these powers we need to be aware of how the word “terrorism” is being realigned - Sir Ian Blair, live on UK television stated “I don’t think people should distinguish crime and terrorism too easily”; the U.S patriot act and the UK terrorism act also similarly define terrorism to include general domestic crime; in effect this means that anti-terrorism legislation can be used against anyone suspected of any crime i.e. denial of access to lawyers, detention without trial etc.

A study produced by a group of academics called the Surveillance Studies Network recently was presented to the 28th International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners' Conference in London. It predicts that by 2016, shoppers could be scanned as they enter stores, curfew restrictions could be imposed as part of daily life, schools could bring in cards allowing parents to monitor what their children eat, and jobs may be refused to applicants who are seen as a health risk. Is this a society which you would wish to live in?

Consider some of the measures which are in operation or are in consideration:

1. Oystercards, these systematically collect information and track movements of commuters which is then stored in a large data warehouse. The police have already made numerous requests for information from these databases, of which these requests are increasing at a dramatic rate every month. Although the scheme seems to be entirely voluntary, people that choose not to use it are being heavily penalised through excessively higher fares.

2. The information sharing index, to be put on trial next year stores information of all children in England and Wales. While it does store limited information, the prospect of it being expanded using the implemented infrastructure is something which is more than viable.

3. We already in the UK have the highest density of CCTV cameras in the world, police and councils are now considering monitoring conversations in the street using high-powered microphones attached to CCTV cameras. The reason given behind this is to record aggressive exchanges before they become violent. How much longer till such technologies are implemented within our very homes?

4. Biometric ID cards coming in to use in the next few years - further monitoring of every aspect of our lives.

5. The NHS spine database currently being developed and to be put in trial would be the biggest database in the word, holding medical information on about 50 million patients in the UK. Not only unsafe, but fears have also been voiced about the number of people being able to view the data. This includes third party companies, and government.

6. Implementing microchips on individuals to track ones movement – already being trialled in America, this has been discussed and presents a major breach of our civil liberties.

What can you do?

This is far from a short one-off campaign. We need to pressure the media to highlight and publicly debate these violations of our civil liberties, we need to write to our MP’s asking them to not fall silent to these measures, and we must also show more support for civil liberties groups such as Liberty who have a proven track record for fighting for your rights and defending your freedom.

You can use www.writetothem.com to lobby your MP. Below is a sample letter you can use a basis for your own letter. We, as always, suggest that you personalise and change this to the best of your ability to ensure it has the greatest effect.

Dear [Your MP’s Name],

I am writing to voice my concern at the ever increasing measures being taken by our government in the name of combating crime and terrorism. Rather than doing such, these measures inflict upon the civil rights and privacy of every individual - leading to the situation where instead of being treated as citizens we are all being treated as suspects.

As your constituent, I urge you to act and put pressure on our government and not compromise and sacrifice our civil liberties in tackling the terrorist threat. However, think of real and effective ways of tackling the issue, starting with a change in our foreign policy.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Sincerely,

[Your Name]

There is also currently a petition on this subject on the official Downing Street website. Please sign it and forward it to your friends and family:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/No-more-fear/