Who To Complain To About British Intelligence Surveillance

Personally I don't complain formally. There are more effective methods.

If you do want to complain, just send your complaint to . . . the people who's actions you're complaining about.

In the United Kingdom, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) is a judicial body, independent of the British government, which hears complaints about surveillance by public bodies—in fact, "the only Tribunal to whom complaints about the Intelligence Services can be directed"

The IPT does not disclose its address; it uses a PO box in Nine Elms, London, close to the Secret Intelligence Building.

en.wikipedia.org...

Can claimants visit the Tribunal’s Offices or deliver material to the Tribunal in person?

No. For security reasons no such visits may take place, and all correspondence must be addressed to the Tribunal’s P.O Box, 33220 London SW1H 9ZQ.

www.ipt-uk.com...

Asked if the commitment to annual reports was now being questioned, the speaker began to give us an answer before the line went suddenly dead.

www.theregister.co.uk...


What a job. Imagine getting paid for being an obtuse sod. No wonder they all go mad.

We can expect all Orgreave campaigners to be surveilled. No use complaining to the crims themselves. The complaints need to be out in the open.

a reply to: Kester

the care bears ?

a reply to: Kester

Hey..youre already on the "lists" the government has on everyone and everything. You complain, write a letter etc...you draw attention to yourself.

Knowing you already exist....complain and theyll just start looking at you and into you and your "habits", internet, lifestyle...etc, etc...even more.

Take care...youll start hearing beeps on your phone and seeing odd cars outside everywhere you go. Some agencies...no matter the country...are just not worth getting in touch with. Lay low and keep a low profile.

I know its human nature to want to and have a right to complain...but is it worth it??

a reply to: Kester

If you think about it, only paranoiacs would file complaints. Real spies would simply effect countermeasures, or exfiltrate if they were truly blown.

a reply to: mysterioustranger

It isn't worth complaining. But it is worth taking precautions.

If you experience harassment on the road it's well worth improving your driving to give you the best chance. www.abovetopsecret.com...

They are basically spineless, which is why they took the job. My experience of them is they are always scared or about to be scared.

a reply to: DJW001

Some people are so naive they would complain and expect something to come of it.

originally posted by: Kester
a reply to: DJW001

Some people are so naive they would complain and expect something to come of it.

TIP: don't complain to the IPCC unless you have major political backing, my experience was .... it was a joke and that's how my complaint was treated. Independent? nah

Aint the IPT never ruled against the spooks yet? probably if you do complain you'd better check your brake pipes and the gas boiler for leaks after filing a complaint.

GCHQ has and always will do what it wants, how it wants and no one will say a thing as the judges etc will have secrets they don't fancy being outed.

If you regard the IPT as 'democracy theatre' you won't go far wrong. It's mostly just a way of shunting complaints into the long grass, never to be heard of again (although there is the occasional complaint upheld, but more due to the complainant's luck than anything else).

A better way of raising a complaint is to write to one's MP. I'm sure they get a fair amount of crank correspondence, but they are actually obliged to look into reality-based complaints from constituents. An even better way is to approach a journalist. If you draw attention to yourself, you draw attention to the spooks too - and they hate that.

a reply to: audubon

When the danger seems life-threatening any lawful way of attracting attention helps. It depends on what you've got to work with. Anything in the art world is good. Get yourself known to a large number of people quickly.

Some of the things I've done to get attention resulted in large groups of tourists photographing me and the occasional big celebrity paying attention. It was all done very low budget using what little I had to work with. Sometimes when I was asked why I was doing it I would explain that my life was threatened for political reasons and I wanted lots of questions asked if anything happened.

Get famous quick. Try for more than one target group and make yourself known for something new and different.

You don't have to be thick-skinned to be a clown but it helps. Cultivate a thick skin.

a reply to: Maxatoria

John Pendragon, author of Tribal Messenger, was not a keen mechanic. He hardly ever checked under the bonnet. One summer morning at dawn on Hay Bluff he went to his car, then had a strong feeling to look under the bonnet. It had been rigged to catch fire as he drove down the steep, winding road. His crime was being an organiser of the tribal gatherings taking place at the time.

Amongst those who should be acknowledged as seminal organisers of the festival in the 80s were The Polytrantric Commune, Nik Turner, Sid Rawle, John Pendragon and Big Steve.

www.ukrockfestivals.com...
www.ukrockfestivals.com...
museumofwitchcraftandmagic.co.uk...

originally posted by: Kester
John Pendragon, author of Tribal Messenger, was not a keen mechanic. He hardly ever checked under the bonnet. One summer morning at dawn on Hay Bluff he went to his car, then had a strong feeling to look under the bonnet. It had been rigged to catch fire as he drove down the steep, winding road. His crime was being an organiser of the tribal gatherings taking place at the time

That's interesting. Do you have a source for it? (None of the links you've provided mentions this incident. I've tried googling, but results are contaminated by the fact that there is a car hire company called Pendragon!).

a reply to: audubon

I was the first person he spoke to that morning. I'm the source.

a reply to: Kester

That explains why I can't find a reference, then! Thanks. Surprised he never wrote it down though.

Trafalgar Square, lots of drums and loudspeakers.
We'll let them know just who their boss really is.

Make a date, we'll make it happen.
The world has a message coming.

a reply to: audubon

Perhaps he did. Many of his papers were lost in storage.

He was visibly scared when he arrived at our place after driving alone on very quiet roads. He must have wondered if he would be intercepted en-route after finding his car's engine rigged like that.

His view was that his car had been expertly sabotaged in a way that would cause a sudden petrol fire within a short distance. No extra parts were used, just a rearrangement of equipment. He rearranged it and drove to our place.