----- Original Message -----
From: John Clancy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 3:10 PM
Subject: [CubaNews] Rob: Privacy battle looms in England. Faxes banned
from: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
subject: Rob: Privacy battle brews in England. Faxes banned
Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: <Undisclosed [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
From: "robert rodvik" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: BIG BROTHER ALIVE AND LURKING IN U.K.
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001
Privacy Battle Brews in England
by Michelle Delio
Clean up your hard drive and mind your manners if you live in or are
traveling to the United Kingdom. Police there may soon be able to
copy and store the contents of computers, collect and warehouse
samples of human DNA and fine people for misdemeanors without
having to arrest them first.
The new Criminal Justice and Police Bill, which began what is
expected to be its long journey through British legal and political
channels on Friday, is being promoted as a defense against "yob
culture." Yob is a British slang term for punks or hooligans, and the
bill gives police extended powers to deal harshly with the drunk and
disorderly.
But the bill covers more than quality-of-life crimes. It also allows
the police to expand their DNA database by permitting all legally
acquired DNA samples to be stored indefinitely -- *even if those
samples belong to people who were later acquitted or not even
charged with a crime.*
Section 49 of the bill gives British police officers and customs
guards the power to copy the disk of any computer device found during
a legal search in order to be able to carefully examine the contents
at a later time.
"They have to have a reasonable basis that the disk contains
something relevant to what they are searching for, but it (the bill)
would seem to give them carte blanche to seize computers since it
would almost always be reasonable to assume that a computer in
a premises would or could contain information relevant to the
search," said Edward Hayes, a Manhattan attorney.
Hayes also pointed out that under the new bill, importing pornography
would be considered, in the bill's wording, a "serious arrestable
offence," and so any suspicion that porn lurks on a computer could
provide a reason for a search of that computer by customs officers.
"The answer to whether they would take advantage of that to routinely
copy the contents of computers would depend on your personal level of
paranoia," said Hayes. "At this point in time I have no reason to
think that they would or wouldn't."
British customs guards have been checking the contents of travelers'
computers since the late '90s, an HM (Her Majesty's) Customs and
Excise spokesperson acknowledged, but until now they haven't been
able to do more than a fast scan of the contents.
"These checks were and continue to be performed in an effort to keep
pornography out of England. And suitcases and computers are the same
to us," the spokesperson said. "Travelers must be prepared and
willing to have the contents of whatever they are bringing into our
country checked."
He declined to say what software was used for the scans, and said
there were no current plans to make copies of the contents of hard
drives.
"We will see what happens with the Police Bill. Currently we are
simply allowed to check hard drives for pornography. Our current law
does not entitle us or the police to seize material from one place in
order to examine it elsewhere."
"But since we are looking for pornography, not product plans or
personal banking information, normal people shouldn't worry."
Some corporate travelers, who are sensitive about the privileged
company information stored on their computers, are still concerned
about the new regulations, as are some journalists, who may have an
odd assortment of research on their hard drives.
"A quick look through my files would shows information on hackers,
viruses, antigovernment protests, espionage and drugs," said Jeff
Leydon, a Los Angeles freelance writer who contributes to computer
and underground culture magazines, and often travels on
assignment. "Anyone who scanned my drive, or examined the
contents out of the context of knowing what I do for a living, would
have to assume that I am a major threat to peace. At the least, that
would get my name on the 'do him deep and long' body cavity search
list," said Leydon, whose computer has been examined at the Canadian
and Israeli borders.
"Both times it took several hours for them to clear me and it was a
very uncomfortable situation. And I'm sure they only skimmed the
surface of my computer. If they could have copied it and examined it
in detail, at their leisure, who knows what could have happened?"
Locking the files down with password protection or encryption won't
help, under Britain's recently passed Regulation of Investigatory
Powers Act (RIP), the police are allowed to demand decryption keys
or passwords. Not providing it can land you in jail for up to two
years.
Computer security experts say that there are programs that would
allow easily customs and police officers to make a complete copy of a
hard disk.
Such a copy could contain all the current files, along with deleted
ones, and -- through Web browser caching files -- information about
what Internet sites the computer's owner had viewed.
Intimate information about your genetic makeup will also be stored if
the bill passes through Parliament. Jack Straw, Home Secretary in
charge of domestic affairs for England and Wales, said that the Home
Office hoped to increase the national DNA database from its current
one million samples to 3.5 million in the next three years.
"This bill is a travesty," said Ian MacAllister, an Edinburgh
political writer. "It is a sickening juxtaposition of the semi-
logical with the utterly fantastical."
MacAllister believes the bill will not pass into law.
"I still have faith in the good sense of common humanity. I believe
that people will see this bill is nothing more than the New Labor
party's continuing attempt to put us all under police surveillance 24
hours a day. Unfortunately there is no government in the world
that does not seek that sort of power over its people."
But Straw insisted that the public would be happy about the bill
because it would "help the police and reduce costs," while "cutting
down on disorder and disturbances."
Provisions in the bill allow police to fine people without having to
arrest them for drunk and disorderly behavior, using threatening,
abusive or insulting words or behavior, damaging property, "throwing
missiles" and trespassing on the railways. Fines for these activities
range from #100 ($146) to #2,500 ($3,662.97).
Article found
at: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,41352,00.html "
(JC: Australia's stalwart Bush-loving leaders have placed a ban on
faxes to Cuba. Would someone in Cuba send the following fax for me
-with a copy back to me please?
from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] phone 61 02 9521-8600
To: Fax 537338 943 or 537335176 Attn -Rene Soto
Post comments to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Send an email to subscribe:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe from this CubaNews group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
