[Infowarrior] - Snoopers' Charter set to breeze through parliament despite protests

[Richard Forno]

Snoopers' Charter: IP Bill set to breeze through parliament despite protests

By Stuart Sumner

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2451071/snoopers-charter-ip-bill-set-to-breeze-through-parliament-despite-protests

THE INVESTIGATORY POWER BILL (IP Bill) looks set to pass through its second reading in the House of Commons today despite a storm of protest from government figures and various industry bodies.

The bill, which if passed into law will give the government the ability to force telecommunications firms to store users' internet and mobile phone records, has endured criticism both for its content, and the speed with which the Conservative government is rushing it through parliament.

Conservative MP David Davis, who in July 2015 won a High Court ruling stating that sections 1 and 2 of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 (DRIPA) were unlawful, told the INQUIRER recently that the legislation should be given more time for its second reading.

 "We are supposed to debate [the bill], and each of us will have six minutes [to comment on the bill and suggest amendments] in a speech. It's undemocratic. We ought to have a couple of days on the floor of the House for the second reading, that's the 'in principle' debate.

"You can't even deal with one of the subjects in this bill - and there are probably five or six big subjects - in six minutes," said Davis.

Meanwhile, Jim Killock, executive director of campaign organisation the Open Rights Group, said: "MPs of any political party who value democracy must resist the Government's attempts to rush the Investigatory Powers Bill through Parliament.

"The UK's senior lawyers, its journalists and the tech industry have lambasted the Bill. Parliament's own committees have called for significant changes to its powers. But the Government is intent on forcing it into law. MPs must act before it's too late."

Many corporations have also come out against the bill, including encryption firm Echoworx. Jacob Ginsberg, senior director at the firm encouraged MPs to abstain from the vote.

"It is surprising more government parties aren't following Labour's lead in abstaining to vote on the impending Investigatory Powers Bill. The speed at which this bill has been rushed through parliament surely highlights key concerns about the level of research and lack of commitment to consumer privacy.

"There are very real costs, both tangible and intangible, to the UK if this bill is not implemented properly from the get go. In the short term, I cannot see how security-conscious cloud and hosting companies can continue business in the UK. In the longer term, as new technologies and means of communication arise, UK citizens need to know that their rights and safety are top of mind for the government. I think that the committee who reviewed the first draft shared some understandable fears - and it looks like too few of those have been addressed in this revision.

"Having the power to sweep up someone's browsing history without a warrant is just wrong. Moves to rush the bill through do little to reassure the public that their government is looking out for their best interests, especially when the government's exercise of these powers will not be subject to a meaningful judicial authorisation process.

"If this bill passes, we're going to see a tidal wave of other European countries look to impose similar legislation as well. It's important that not only the Labour party, but also the British public seize the opportunitry to question this bill before the powers the UK government seeks are granted."

With most Conservative MPs likely to vote in the bill's favour, and Labour and the SNP suggesting that they will abstain, only the Liberal Democrats look likely to attempt to delay its passage into the statute books. µ

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