Plan to monitor all internet use

So, now the government are announcing plans to snoop on even more information than they previously had:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8020039.stm

The BBC article really goes to great lengths to publicise the governments new government line, the distraction de jour, namely that there would be no single run database, as if that makes any real difference. They know full well that red tape in the short-term will develop into more centralisation and data sharing later on. As far as I'm concerned, it really is meaningless where and how diversely they store it, it is in effect, a de facto centralised database, particularly with the connectivity modern communication affords.

The article says...

"The Home Office will instead ask communications companies - from internet service providers to mobile phone networks - to extend the range of information they currently hold on their subscribers and organise it so that it can be better used by the police, MI5 and other public bodies investigating crime and terrorism."

The establishment can't even be bothered to pretend it's just for terrorism now. Trot out the the line of

"Communications data is an essential tool for law enforcement agencies to track murderers, paedophiles, save lives and tackle crime," Ms Smith said"

and you have you basic common or garden justification and "auto-belief" that crime and terrorism justify absolutely any measures. If they keep hinting this is the sensible and common view eventually people will align with that. I think a lot of this now is done and dusted, and has been in effect for a long time. Now it's emerging for real and we're being tested, to see how we react.

They also mention the following:

"Ms Smith said that while the new system could record a visit to a social network, it would not record personal and private information such as photos or messages posted to a page."

I find that pretty ridiculous actually. If they're only really recording your visit and not what you're doing on the websites, the system is basically useless, particularly because they can already track information via ISPs now anyway. And to announce to the world that you can't be tracked if you create images of your text first. Countless on-line tools that automate this would appear overnight.

They also have Echelon, the system used by a multitude of governments who spy on each others' citizens, which they can then share between themselves.

As per usual you get the illusion of opposition but eventual capitulation with the Tories saying the Home Office had "buckled under Conservative pressure" in deciding against a giant database, and the Liberal Democrats also saying they are "pleased that the Government has climbed down from the Big Brother plan for a centralised database of all our emails and phone calls." as if this has been a great a victory on the road to freedom. Cognitive dissonance.

Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling spoke along the right lines but it's part of the "we're a valid opposition, get us in and then we'll actually advance the same agenda in a slightly different way" strategy that has served them so well. Whether he knows or not, well... that is the question.