UK Councils have the right to spy/snoop on the public?

Councils in England have been urged to review the way they use surveillance powers to investigate suspected crime.

Under laws brought in to help fight terrorism, councils can access phone and e-mail records and use surveillance to detect or stop a criminal offence.

Councils warned over spying laws

Right this is damn right scary I didn't even know they had the power to do this? "Under the terrorism" laws again.... What worries me is anyone can work for the council and they have access to my email account? that means any tom dick and harry working for the council can get access to my bank information, paypal account, usernames and passwords for allsorts of things. When is it when you start getting letters in the post about the "email" you sent, with fines. Only the police should have the powers to be able to do this. It's more like East Germany........

more news on this here

"a family in Poole in Dorset were tracked covertly for nearly three weeks to check they lived in a school catchment area"


"Newcastle used it for one case of "car parking surveillance re suspected contraventions of parking orders"


www.guardian.co.uk...


it makes me sick, I hate the UK more everyday, shame others cannot see what a Facist State we live in.....

reply to post by estar


The RIP Act is being abused by over-zealous councils in the UK. It won't be long before they are stripped of their power.

As for you not being aware, shame on you. No really, it's disgusting your not aware.

It's one thing to sit there and bitch about "how did they get these powers" and "it's like East germany", but how can you bleat about it when you quite obviously don't follow politics.

It's because people are ignorant and think politics is boring that the damn Labour Government got in power and was allowed to pass this Law in the first place! If more people actually showed an interest, then things like this wouldn't happen.

It's easy to blame the Government, but when only half the electorate bother to turn out and vote (only 27% of that 50% voted Labour by the way, so only a 1/4 of the nation actually support the Government)) then it's the people's fault when the Government is allowed to run amok.

PAY ATTENTION FOR CHRISTS SAKE!!!!

[edit on 23/6/08 by stumason]

reply to post by stumason



You have only seen the tip of the ice berg.

Snoop ? man these people have been using this draconian set of powers way WAY more than you even suspect.

They have an entire arm of (and this is no joke) 'covert surveillance operatives' within the councils of England and Wales now. They all 'share' the costs of running this set up.

As Stumason says.... there is no excuse not to know about this IF you had followed even the main stream media carefully.

I completely agree.

Forget "sleepwalking into a surveillance society" - we're already there!!

The UK is the most monitored country in existence. We use China as a benchmark simply because they're more open about the monitoring which makes us look like we're not monitored, but we're actually worse off than they are, and in a more dangerous situation for it.

Did you know the UK Government have helped prosecute bloggers in the UK? Neither did I until last week.

The thing about dictatorships is at least you know it exists. There is nothing worse than a dictatorship that looks like a democracy.

[edit on 23-6-2008 by mirageofdeceit]

Before this Act was passed council employees could snoop on you to their hearts content anyway. But the introduction of human rights legislation required "official surveillance" to be put in a whole new legislative framework, hence this Act. Had they not done so many benefit fraud investigations, for example, would have had to be abandoned because the human rights legislation made it illegal to put someone under ad hoc surveillance.

Now under this legislation Councils etc must have a damned good reason to conduct surveillance (suspected criminal activity on your part) & a jolly good business case to put to their own management in order to exercise these powers. There's now a paper trail for you to follow ... and to challenge through the courts. Before this Act you never had that ability.

Now whether this Act is being used appropriately is another question altogether & is something HMG really needs to consider urgently given so many folks being concerned.

But ask any council employee whether this Act is a help or a hindrance ... and whether they prefer this way of conducting surveillance to that of 10 years ago. Most employees would say this new Act has mired their investigations in a sea of paperwork & is greatly reducing their effectiveness. That's the real truth. It's Labour bureaucracy gone bonkers.

reply to post by stumason


Whoa hang on a minute, I do follow politics and the freedoms that have erroded over the years sickens me. I was against the 42 day detention that they have brought in, but what are you suppose to do when polticians are paid of for there vote like Nothern Ireland MP's recently were. You can't protest without permission anymore, how are these MP's suppose to know what people want. I know the councils spy on people, usually because of benifit cheats. But I didn't know that their powers allowed them to wire tap people and check peoples emails thats to far, fair enough the police and MI5, MI6 should be able to with a warrant but the council? I know anyone can get arrested under the terrorism laws thats what people don't realise. But im sorry if I didn't know the council had this much power, its seems to be under the radar until its just been brought up recently. Personally from my experiance people don't talk poltics, relgion in this country because it usually ends up in arguments, like my mum says you should never talk politics, beliefs or religion, its a bad way of thinking but it's the way alot of people do.

reply to post by stumason


Actually, that post was a bit of insult and has got me pretty angry. You don't know me, I do pay attention. So what if I do pay attention this is the stuff I hear alot on this site. What the hell are people suppose to do about this? If Tony Blair can take us on a illegal war that everyone knows about and get away scott free what are we suppose to do? you can't protest without permission. Even if I spent my whole life "following" yea thats a good word you brought up "following" because thats all you can do these days. Get of your high horse and tell the people what we should be doing? because I don't have a "fooking" clue what to do.