Britain becoming a Big Brother society, says data watchdog
Pastor Dale Morgan
Britain becoming a Big Brother society, says data watchdog*
By Sophie Goodchild
Published: 29 April 2007
Britain is in danger of "committing slow social suicide" as such Big
Brother techniques as surveillance cameras and recording equipment
spread into every aspect of our lives, the nation's information watchdog
will warn this week.
A new report from Richard Thomas, the information commissioner, will say
that the public needs to be made more aware of the "creeping
encroachment" on civil liberties created by email monitoring, CCTV and
computer tracking of our buying habits.
It is understood that one of the concerns in Mr Thomas's report is the
use of special listening devices which can be placed in lamp posts,
street furniture and offices. These are already widely used in the
Netherlands to combat crime and anti-social behaviour.
More than 300 of the cameras with built-in microphones have been fitted
in benefit offices and city centres. The equipment can pick up
aggressive tones on the basis of decibel level, pitch and speed at which
words are spoken.
Westminster council has already started piloting the listening devices,
but experts say the use of these microphones raises questions about how
surveillance can be used to intrude into the private lives of citizens.
He will also call for greater regulation of companies that supply
surveillance technology which provides "convenience or safety for the
more affluent majority", but not for the vulnerable such as children,
immigrants and the elderly.
His warning comes as MPs launch their first inquiry into the impact of
surveillance in Britain. The Home Affairs Select Committee will
investigate the use of video cameras to monitor high streets and
residential areas as well as the holding of personal information on both
government and commercial databases.
On Tuesday, Mr Thomas, who last year warned that Britain was
"sleepwalking into a surveillance society", will tell the committee at
its first hearing that new safeguards must be introduced to protect the
public from the increasing intrusion of surveillance into their daily lives.
Civil liberty campaigners have already warned that Britain is becoming a
Big Brother society where its citizens are increasingly being watched.
There are more than four million CCTV cameras in this country, one for
every 14 people, and the national DNA database which was set up by
police to combat crime now holds 3.5 million profiles.