Book description
The debate about our DNA database, the largest per capita in the world,
has dominated headlines throughout the last few years. Britain has more
CCTV cameras than any other country in the world, and even more are
being installed - including in private homes, facing out into the
street. With the Intercept Modernisation Programme, the current
government plans to record details of every telephone call made and
e-mail sent by people in the United Kingdom. A database of households,
is set to be compiled for health and safety reasons, is planned by the
NHS. The Independent Safeguarding Authority continues to plan a
compulsory register of all those who regularly come into contact with
children - perhaps a third of adults in the country. Stop-and-Search
powers under the Terrorism Act are argued about as photographers are
arrested for taking photographs of public buildings. Data chips in our
bins monitor our domestic waste. Despite a temporary retreat on their
compulsory status, identity cards (and, more importantly, the database
behind them) remain with us. What is the future for civil liberties in
modern Britain? Big Brother Watch brings together a collection of essays
by experts in fields affected by the increasingly authoritarian nature
of British culture - in a country so illiberal it's almost as if normal
life is becoming unlawful. Alex Deane is the Director of Big
Brother Watch, a campaign from the founders of the TaxPayers'
Alliance, fighting intrusions on privacy and protecting liberties. A
barrister and journalist, he was formerly David Cameron's chief of staff.
