UK surveillance society probed
Tash Shifrin writes for MacWorld UK:
The House of Lords constitution committee has launched an inquiry into the impact that UK government surveillance and data collection on privacy and the relations between citizens and the state.
The inquiry comes with the government pushing for increased data sharing between public sector agencies and controversy over schemes such as the ID card program and the uploading of patient data onto the NHS “spine,” part of the £12.4 billion National Programme for IT.
…
Committee chair Lord Holme of Cheltenham said: “The nature and extent of surveillance and data collection have changed dramatically in recent years. We now have close to 4.2 million CCTV cameras in the UK and with the introduction of the NHS Spine and the ID card database the government will hold more information about us than ever before.
The House of Lords Constitution Committee press release is here (MS Word). The Committee’s Call for Evidence on “The Impact of Surveillance and Data Collection upon the Privacy of Citizens and their Relationship with the State” says:
The Committee invites interested organisations and individuals to submit written evidence as part of its inquiry, reflecting the guidance given below. Written evidence should reach the Committee as soon as possible and no later than Friday 8 June.
The CFE is here (MS Word).
