Allison Hillman
Have you ever heard of the Investigatory Powers Bill? Many have never heard of this secret government program, but you are about to.
Our mainstream media outlets have been keeping us busy with stories of Russian hackers, voter fraud, Trump terrorism, and Pro-Hillary rants as a technique to distract you from a Bill that has been passed and will be implemented soon.
To be clear, the law was passed in the United Kingdom, which makes it even easier to disguise the impact on the United States. Make no mistake however; it does affect each and every one of us in the U.S.
Informant Edward Snowden has come forward to refocus our attention. He is warning that a new law just passed giving the UK government the ability to put secret back-doors into any technology before it comes on the market. The government would like you to believe that this only applies to companies and citizens in the United Kingdom. That is not the truth.
Any technology operating within the UK is required to allow the government to put a secret backdoor in it. This would include social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, KIK, WhatsApp and Google Plus. It also cover email services such as Gmail, Live, Hotmail and Yahoo and even all instant messenger services.
Companies will not be warning you that what you do on Facebook and Twitter is now accessible by the government through technology you will never know about. Any new electronics you purchase will already have this installed on it. All this made possible by another country’s government.
The new policy is buried within a draft code of practice document as part of the UK government’s efforts to reform its surveillance laws, and will impose obligations on tech companies operating in the country.
The bill will force internet providers to keep a full list of internet connection records (ICRs) for a year and to make them available to the government if asked. Those ICRs serve as a full list of every website that people have visited.
These ICR lists will be available to many government bodies besides police, military, and the secret service. Agencies in the UK with access will include the Food Standards Agency, the Gambling Commission, councils and the Welsh Ambulance Services National Health Service Trust. It stands to reason that similar types of government bureaus outside the United Kingdom will have the ability as well.
Worldwide companies that deal in Internet, phone, and technology will have to inform the UK government of new products, services, and features ahead of their launch to ensure that they can be subject to surveillance.
Insiders see it as an “effort to ensure that no product or service can include unbreakable or end-to-end encryption, which can make state surveillance difficult.” US tech companies are not pleased with the bill, arguing that it would among other things undermine strong encryption.
Millie Graham Wood, a legal officer at Privacy International says, “The tech companies will have little say and the Government say explicitly they have the power to bring legal action against them if they do not comply.”
She states in a recent blog post that “companies who face demands under the bill by the government would have no recourse or judicial oversight. It is not solely the lack of judicial oversight and accountability that could push companies away from the UK. Many companies have submitted evidence to the Investigatory Powers Bill committees on the impact of having to retain communications data for up to 12 months.”
This type of mass surveillance operation has certainly been conducted before, illegally of course. This new legislation legalizes the conduct. It allows any foreign government, anywhere in the world, regardless of the country’s own laws, to use UK required government back-doors to spy on their citizens for foreign surveillance purposes.
It is unlikely that we will see these stories in the mainstream media given that they are controlled by people who can use this new law for their benefit. Earlier today on Twitter, a very relevant question was posed: “Are companies allow to say if they are ordered to do this?”
The answer is not what the public wants to hear. “It explicitly states a ‘communication services provider’ cannot reveal a request.”
The Twitter feed includes these Tweets that bring up some other issues every citizen should be demanding explanation of including;
Hackers will find the back-doors within mere months!
Need new hacks to close back-doors
Any company with UK operations are also affected, so that’s most of Silicon Valley
So which foreign government is going to buy UK tech knowing UK gov can snoop anytime they choose?
Does this mean WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption hides nothing from the people we want to hide it from the most, the US government?
Does this include every phone app made by a UK company? Will every UK app be a possible backdoor to my phone/computer/tech?
Google said they were investing in the UK soon
Stories are also coming in from other countries, including Norway, regarding toys with electronics that could be used for surveillance purposes. That should put a whole new spin on Christmas presents.
Awareness is key. These companies need consumers to keep going. If everyone is informed about this invasion, then everyone can be part of the solution.
Companies that will be subject to the law need to begin suing immediately to protect the privacy of American citizens.
If you have not heard about this new law coming forward, spread the word and tell everyone you know. We cannot allow this globalization to occur!
Privacy is the last thing they take away from us before we have nothing.