Big Brother is watching you...online?

No, this isn't a blog about George Orwell's book 1984, but shades of his fictional tale seem to ring true in a story that has dominated the newspapers today.

'Listening' agency at GCHQ will be able to monitor who you contact
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2123512/Facebook-emails-texts-logged-snoopers-charter-Tories-revive-plans-online-surveillance.html#ixzz1qtaxxyzi

This is a story which originates from a piece of EU legislation, 

DIRECTIVE 2006/24/EC

on the retention of data generated or processed in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks and amending

Directive 2002/58/EC

You can read this directive in full on the following link:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2006%3A105%3A0054%3A0063%3AEN%3APDF

Constituent email: ACTA

Following on from my motorcycle post earlier in the week, another hot topic in the constituency mail inbox this week is ACTA.


More information on ACTA can be found here

The majority of these emails that I'm receiving are concerned about how the ACTA legislation could develop over time to potentially infringe privacy.

The following is an extract of my reply so people can know where I stand on this issue:

"SOPA, and PIPA that are currently being debated in the United States would effectively close down the free internet entirely, using the excuse of protecting Copyright. The EU soon will be debating the ACTA Treaty which like the SOPA and PIPA threatens the exchange of knowledge and information on the Internet; in any and all circles where the information could be deemed to be someone else's 'property'. We believe itself should not exist in any form. It is a catastrophic violation of individual private property, and so we will oppose ACTA when the final bill comes up for vote in the European Parliament.  
No-one would disagree with the need to oppose and control infringement of IP/Copyright, but ACTA is not the way to go about this.  ACTA like SOPA and PIPA criminalises the general population and strangles innovation and freedom of speech and expression"

I will keep my constituents informed on this important issue.

Other stories about ACTA today:

Anti-ACTA march in Poland http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16735219

European Parliament rapporteur quits in Acta protest http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16757142