Demand A Proper Consultation

The UK’s Home Office continues to push for maximum surveillance powers with minimum accountability in the latest adjustments to the Communications Data Bill. I decided to find out just how much consultation with non-corporates there had been before the Bill was introduced originally.

See the FOI request I placed and the response I received – there were a total of four, and no meetings worth keeping records of the content were held.  Although the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee said consultation with civil society organisations was needed, by all accounts the meetings since then have been worthless too, with just notification and talk rather than true consultation. One small note for any BCS members listening to their claims they represent you; they are not listed in the response.

Open Rights Group now has a form for citizens to ask for a proper consultation to be held. They would welcome both individuals and organisations completing the form to show demand for a proper consultation.

☆ Open Rights Group on FLOSS Weekly

Tomorrow (November 23rd) I’ll be visiting Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group (the UK’s answer to the EFF), and interviewing him on FLOSS Weekly in another Brit Invasion show with Dan Lynch. I’d be pleased to ask him any questions you may have; leave a comment here or send me e-mail.

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