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Re: [LUG] This might be old but...

 

2008/10/25 Simon Williams <simon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> Neil Stone wrote:
>> http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/08/10/15/2222209.shtml
>>
>> "The Communications Data Bill (2008) will lead to the creation of a
>> single, centralized database containing records of all e-mails sent,
>> websites visited and mobile phones used by UK citizens. In a
>> carnivore-on-steroids programme, as all vestiges of communication
>> privacy are stripped away, The BBC reports that Home Secretary Jacqui
>> Smith says this is a 'necessity.'"
>
> How exactly are they planning to do this? People encrypt mail.

I doubt that a huge number of people actually encrypt their mail.
Also, I think I heard the plans have been revised not to include
message content, but headers such as origin/destination, time sent etc

The other thing that effects encryption as protection is that as part
of the RIPA act a person can be required by law to hand over their
encryption keys, with failure to do so resulting in a jail sentence
(with longer sentences for terrorist suspects). I've had conversations
with people who argued that a judge would never recognise this as it
violates your right not to incriminate yourself, but recently a judge
did support this and said there were occasions when this can be
superseded.

> they need all private mail servers
> as well. Even *I* have a mail server.
>

Even if they don't have the information from your own mail server,
they have the information from everyone who you've emailed on public
servers, and of messages that have gone through public SMTP relays
etc. A lot of work is being done that does analysis based on
association, so you may find yourself being more closely investigated
because your email records link you to someone who's own email records
link them to a known terrorist.

With the whole six degrees of separation thing having gained more
support lately, looks like we're all associated to a terrorist by just
a few emails!

Will ha

Jon

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