How do I know this is true and not some hoax?

Here is a link to the BBC web page story:

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7819230.stm


What can I do about it?


1. There is a petition to sign demanding that the government
stop this.

 http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/GCHQinvasion/

However you might not wish to sign a petition administered by the very government that is planning this! What a good way for them to find out who doesn't like their plans for whatever reason!!!


What's next?


Reports have suggested the government has even bigger plans for
data retention.


They could involve one central database, gathering details on every
text sent, e-mail sent, phone call made and website visited.


Do you want this?


If not then start spreading the word about what your
government is doing and help retain the freedoms we currently enjoy in
this country (We've seen this kind of control in governments elsewhere
like China, Russia etc)


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And if you thought email retention was bad enough, according to The Times "The Home Office has quietly adopted a new plan to allow police across Britain routinely to hack into people’s personal computers without a warrant".  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5439604.ece

discussed at  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/01/417237.html


and

"Ministers are considering spending up to £12 billion on a database to monitor and store the internet browsing habits, e-mail and telephone records of everyone in Britain"
 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4882600.ece


Of course the bottom line is that this has being going on for years through US/UK spy bases like Menwith Hill, so assume that every phone call and email message can heard/read by anyone and act accordingly (eg by not receiving emails from mailing lists like this one!)


However if paranoia stops anyone acting for positive social change, hey job done and the government can relax!



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If you know of campaigns that can realistically challenge all this nonsense then post details here.

There is already a discussion on computer/data security at  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/01/417237.html


And see "Privacy, Email and Activism - a brief intro" at  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/12/358431.html