UK Civil Liberties - New Labour's Record
Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Extension 2002
In 2000, New Labour passed the Regulation
of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act to destroy electronic privacy.
At the time, assurances were given that access to RIP data would be
tightly controlled and only allowed for matters of national security.
In 2002 Home Secretary David "Big" Blunkett attempted to change
the rules. He tried to open up the RIP database so that almost any
government department or civil servant could demand access to our
private records.
A last minute backlash caught Blunkett out and he was forced
to drop his planned extension to the Act.
It appears that this was merely a tactical retreat by David "Big" Blunkett.
He has announced that the plans are to be re-activated.
This incident proves once again we simply
can't afford to put our trust in government "assurances".
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