Ministers in the UK are considering plans for a database to hold details of every phone call and email sent in the country. Apparently the system will be a “crucial tool” to protect national security and prevent crime. From BBC News:

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Communications Data Bill will help ensure that crucial capabilities in the use of communications data for counter-terrorism and investigation of crime continue to be available.

“These powers will continue to be subject to strict safeguards to ensure the right balance between privacy and protecting the public.” The spokesman said changes need to be made to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 “to ensure that public authorities can continue to obtain and have access to communications data essential for counter-terrorism and investigation of crime purposes”.

I will never vote for any party that votes for this to go ahead. They are going too far.

Of course, it will never get passed. What will happen is a watered down version of this will sneak through under the radar of the press, chipping away a little more at our civil liberties, something which many Western governments seem to care little about. They want to spend millions in tax payers money protecting our freedom, yet are willing to trade away that very same freedom in the interest of security.

At the weekend I took my daughter to the swimming pool for the first time. I was not allowed to take photographs of the occasion because paying customers are no longer seen as people by management, but as potential paedophiles. It’s blindingly obvious that those in charge don’t give a crap about the dangers of these criminals, they’re just covering their arses should something happen in their venue. Banning phototgraphy won’t solve the problem. It will just make it less likely that they’ll have legal action against them.

In the same way, the goverment doesn’t give a crap about the freedom they claim to be protecting, they just want to be seen to be doing something by voters.

The UK is now a country whose authorities are obsessed with terrorism and by paedophiles. We have suffered at the hands of terrorists in the past and mistakes were made then. The wrong people were fingered for crimes they didn’t commit. Sad though that was, I’d rather live in a country where mistakes are made than one where everybody is considered guilty before any crime has been committed. It bet if these laws were put to statute these mistakes would STILL happen, no more correct convictions would be made, and the collected data would fall into the wrong hands.

I no longer feel trusted by the people who I helped put in power, and whose wages I pay, along with the millions of other tax payers. They need to think about the consequenses of their actions.

Read more at: The National Terror Alert and at Engadget
Photograph licensed under Creative Commons from nolifebeforecoffee

Following my post last month about the (L) China campaign, I recieved a lot of comments from people who were unhappy about my taking a measured approach to the subject. Apparently I was wrong to question China’s human rights record in any way. This was a bit disappointing, and I felt that the commenters had missed the point of the post.

Those comments have disappeared for now, as I have moved the comments system over to Disqus, and I can’t port them accross quite yet.

Amnesty International and Boomerang in the Netherlands are promoting a campaign to positively promote China *and* human rights. From their site:

China is a beautiful country and has a lot to proud of; it’s economic achievements and their magnificent culture. But there is also a different side to China. China violates human rights systematically. There is no freedom of press and Internet. No other country in the world caries out more death penalties than China. Activists who stand up for human rights are being imprisoned. We must change this.

This campaign is created for those who are tired of the China bashing, but want to see improved human rights in China

I’d be interested to see if this campaign takes on in the same way as the original (L)China campaign.

Apparently today Chinese internet users are saying “enough” to international bullying. Here’s my tuppence worth.

I don’t see any bullying going on. Western governments are doing everything they can to do business with China in the same way that they do with the United States. As a result, there is minimal criticism from the Western regimes.

The Western media is obviously highlighting human right violations. It makes for good news. This however is not bullying or even a criticism of China, simply a criticism of their government’s actions. Charities like Amnesty International are also making the same accusations, so it seems a fair cop to me. Amnesty is also very quick to level criticism at Western governments for their human rights violations so you can be pretty sure there is no bias there. China made some very serious promises to the International Olympics Committee that they would put an end to their human rights violations in order to get the Olympics in Beijing. These promises don’t seem to have been kept.

The other side of this is that a lot of people are accusing these kids of blind nationalism. The thing is that blind nationalism is by no means a trait unique to the Chinese. We in the west are equally of nationalism. It’s a stupid thing, but it’s natural to support “your team.” In the UK we do nothing but bitch and moan about our country until some “johnny foreigner” makes the same accusation. All of a sudden we are patriotic without question.

I think it’s great these kids are proud of their country, but just like the people of any country, they should be under no allusion that they have a responsibility to not let their government get away with committing human rights violations.

I am in no way against China. It’s a country I would love to visit one day. I am however, strongly against torture, capital punishment and organ harvesting. I’m strongly for freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and freedom to practice religious beliefs (as long as that doesn’t harm others). I’m not against China. I wish I could criticise the Chinese government without having to clarify that, just like when I criticise my own government.

Yours Aye.