I caught up on some back issues of newspapers over the weekend and found an interesting article on the current status of public surveillance in the UK – read the whole article, it is another example of what can be found out about you, already!
- 300 – the number of times the average Londoner is caught on CCTV (that is of course, if you not wearing a veil or crash helmet)
- 3.5 million – the number of people already on the UK National DNA database
As the current Information Commissioner Richard Thomas highlights in his latest report to Government (summary report here, full report here, report appendices here, other documents here), the UK continues its march towards an all too frightening Orwellian world.
If all the latest suggestions (roadside fingerprinting of motorists being the latest example) are fully implemented under full legislation, we seriously run the risk of being under constant surveillance and government control from cradle to grave with punishments being imposed for any resistance to its rules at every minute of our lives.
Yes there is a need for society to have better protection against child molesters, to find the motorists who constantly driver without tax or insurance, to discover who the terrorists are in our midst, but it is a fine line that can be easily crossed over in the over enthusiastic rush of ‘need to know’.
Look at what is proposed for the governments planned Children’s Register. Future parents may well have to seriously rethink about their own protection before they have children, following the introduction of the governments planned Children’s Register or Index as it is sometimes referred to. Will it set out to classify all parents of children as potential criminals until they prove that they’re not!.
Information and comments about this one example of the UK surveillance society and how it will add to an already vast array of tracking information about the UK children’s population can be found…
- The Children’s Information Sharing (IS) Index – What is it?
- Additional information on many of the Databases that track children.
- Draft Regulations to be laid before Parliament
- Children’s Databases – Safety and Privacy
- UK child protection database ‘misguided’, critics comments
Yes, we do need to protect societies vulnerable people, especially children, but after the recent debacle concerning the Nationwide and Metropolitan Police data scandals, how sure are we that the watchers are being correctly watched to ensure that this huge collection of data is not being abused?
I for one, feel more and more uncomfortable as time progresses and what I see as further erosion of my privacy – freedom continues. I am sure that there will be much more to discuss on this subject.
Tags: Children’s Index, Surveillance Society, George Orwell
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