A judge has ordered that the criminal trial of two persons accused of terrorism (or rather of ‘preparing for terrorism’) should be held in secret, and that even the existence of this trial should be kept secret on the grounds provided by the crown prosecution that “there was a serious possibility that the trial may not be able to go ahead”. That looks suspiciously like blackmail. And it is an extreme unprecedented departure from open justice for defendants to be anonymous, a court meeting in utter secrecy, and the press and public wholly excluded from the proceedings. Continue reading
Tagged with Spying
Greens start legal challenge over GCHQ snooping in violation of “Wilson doctrine”
Two Green Party parliamentarians are taking legal action against the Government over claims that their communications continue to be intercepted by GCHQ. Caroline Lucas MP and Baroness Jenny Jones have started legal proceedings at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), the tribunal which examines complaints about surveillance by the country’s intelligence agencies and other public bodies.
Lawyers will argue that there is a strong likelihood that both Ms Lucas and Baroness Jones’ communications are being intercepted as part of the Tempora programme exposed by CIA whistle-blower Edward Snowdon. Continue reading
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Relax – Cameron says spy agencies acting entirely within the law
It was the Blairite press officer Jo Moore who in 20o1 on the day of 9/11 coined the infamous phrase: “This is a good day to bury bad news”. Cameron seems to have learnt the lesson when yesterday he used the furore over Maria Miller’s avarice and arrogance to quietly give a welcome to a report from the surveillance commissioner giving the all-clear to Britain’s spy agencies following the Snowden revelations.
In vintage Cameron style, just as he tried to smother the row swirling around Miller with cavalier bravado: “She’s apologised, done the right thing, and we should now move on”, so here he paraphrases the watchdog’s report as: “agencies undertake their role conscientiously and effectively, and public agencies do not engage in indiscriminate mass intrusion”. So that’s all right then, nothing to worry about. Continue reading
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Bugging and surveillance – a cause for concern
Bugging devices in all shapes and forms, tracking devices to monitor movement, and remote controlled surveillance cameras were all an integral part of the British government’s war in the north. Over the years they were found in the homes of republican activists, under floor boards and cabinets, attached to wooden beams in attics, and hidden in the insides of cars.
In the years since the war ended the surveillance war has continued. It has become ever more sophisticated. Now according to some reports they can even bug your clothes. The information released by whistleblower Edward Snowden is evidence of the extent to which states and their agencies will go to spy on their citizens and on their allies, as well as their enemies. It’s all about information and information is power. Continue reading
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The total surveillance state is a nightmare waiting to happen
Why are apparently so few people worried that a state employee can now select on a computer any item in their individual make-up – their address, phone, mobile, email, passport number, credit card number (any of them), any of their logins to a web service, etc. – and can thus access the content of their communications, who they communicate with, the full range of their internet use, their location, and a great deal else? Continue reading
