Contentious UK Spy Bill Due to Become Law<\/p>\n
BEN BIRCHALL\/REUTERS
\nBritain\u2019s Parliament has passed a controversial spy bill allowing authorities to store and access the Internet browsing history of everyone in the country.<\/p>\n
The Investigatory Powers Bill, to become law next week, has been met with alarm by civil liberties groups, who say the legislation gives the green light for mass surveillance of innocent citizens. The government has sought to downplay concerns over the bill, saying it \u201censures powers are fit for the digital age\u201d in order to fight terrorism and major crime, according to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n
But critics warn it\u2019s far too wide-ranging, giving access to numerous government bodies that have nothing to do with fighting crime \u2013 including the Food Standards Agency. Julian Huppert, a former Liberal Democrat lawmaker who opposed the bill, warned that it would create an \u201cintrusive database\u201d for virtually everyone in the government to see. \u201cPeople may have been to the Depression Alliance website, or a marriage guidance website, or an abortion provider’s website, or all sorts of things which are very personal and private,\u201d he was quoted as saying by the AP.<\/p>\n
The law also legalizes British spies\u2019 ability to hack into devices, and a warrant won\u2019t be required for authorities to access the database of citizens\u2019 browsing history.<\/p>\n
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Source:\u00a0The Daily Beast<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"