5
ISSUES: Privacy
Chapter 1: What is privacy?
journalists and privacy campaigners
is profoundly disappointing.
“The passing of the Investigatory
Powers
Bill
has
fundamentally
changed the face of surveillance
in this country; none of us online
are now guaranteed the right to
communicate privately and most
importantly, securely.”
Jo Glanville, Director of English
PEN
“We know that the Snowden
revelations have had a chilling effect
on the free expression of journalists,
writers and citizens around the world.
With the passing of the Investigatory
Powers Bill and its unprecedented
powers to monitor our Internet use,
this chill will get worse.
“The Bill fails to protect journalists
and their sources and will affect
investigative journalism in the UK and
beyond.”
Bella Sankey, Policy Director for
Liberty
“The passage of the Snoopers’
Charter through Parliament is a
sad day for British liberty. Under
the guise of counter-terrorism, the
state has achieved totalitarian-
style surveillance powers – the
most intrusive system of any
democracy in human history. It has
the ability to indiscriminately hack,
intercept, record and monitor the
communications and Internet use of
the entire population.
“Liberty has fought tooth and nail
against this terrifying legislation, but
the paucity of political opposition
has been devastating. The fight does
not end here. Our message to the
Government: see you in Court.”
Jim Killock, Executive Director
of Open Rights Group
“The UK now has a surveillance law
that is more suited to a dictatorship
than a democracy. The state
has
unprecedented
powers
to
monitor and analyse UK citizens’
communications,
regardless
of
whether we are suspected of any
criminal activity.
“The impact of this will be felt beyond
the UK’s shores. It is likely that other
countries, including authoritarian
regimes with poor human rights
records, will use this law to justify their
own intrusive surveillance powers.”
Caroline Wilson Palow, General
Counsel at Privacy International
“The passage of the Investigatory
Powers Act is amajor blow to the privacy
of people in the UK and all over the
world. It sets a world-leading precedent,
but not one of which the Government
shouldbeproud. Insteadof reining in the
unregulated mass surveillance practices
that have for years been conducted
in secret and with questionable legal
authority, the IPA now enshrines them
in law. Widespread surveillance is an
antithesis to democracy, yet the IPA
now sanctions it. Privacy International
is disappointed that Parliament has
failed to curtail these broad and deep
forms of surveillance that will affect
each and every one of us, even if we’re
not suspected of any crime. But the fight
is not over. It will simply move from the
politicians to the judges, who will need
to decide if the IPA is consistent with
the rule of law and the values of our
democracy.”
Michelle Stanistreet, General
Secretary of National Union of
Journalists
“The NUJ has campaigned hard to
oppose this unjustified and draconian
legislation. The secret surveillance
of journalists, whistleblowers and
sources is an attack on democracy and
the public’s right to know. The fight
doesn’t stop here, we will continue
to stick to our ethical principles to
protect journalistic sources and seek
to challenge this new law in every
way that is possible.”
Rebecca Vincent, UK Bureau Director
for Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
“Reporters Without Borders remains
extremely concerned by the failure
of the Investigatory Powers Bill to
sufficiently protect journalists and
their sources. The passage of this
Bill without adequate protection
mechanisms could effectively serve
as a death sentence for investigative
journalism in the UK. Viewed in
the context of a broader trend of
worrisome moves against press
freedom in the UK, the adoption of
this menacing Bill is very worrisome
indeed.”
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The
above
information
is
reprinted with kind permission
from Don’t Spy On Us. Please visit
for
further information.
© Don’t Spy On Us 2017
