The UK is now a “surveillance society”, with technology
being used to track the routine movements of all citizens,
according to the government’s data watchdog.
A report on the widespread use of surveillance in the UK will be
presented to the 28th International Conference of Data Protection
and Privacy in London today.
Information commissioner Richard Thomas said, “Two years ago I
warned that we were in danger of sleepwalking into a surveillance
society. Today I fear that we are in fact waking up to a
surveillance society that is already all around us.”
“Surveillance activities can be well-intentioned and bring
benefits. They may be necessary or desirable – for example, to
fight terrorism and serious crime, to improve entitlement and
access to public and private services, and to improve healthcare.
But unseen, uncontrolled or excessive surveillance can foster a
climate of suspicion and undermine trust.”
Thomas said that as more information is collected, shared and
used, it intrudes into peoples’ private lives and leads to
decisions that directly influence their lives.
He said mistakes could also easily be made “with serious
consequences – false matches and other cases of mistaken identity,
inaccurate facts or inferences, suspicions taken as reality, and
breaches of security”.
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