WRITTEN ON September 17th, 2008 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Foundation of Trust, What do we want?

The British government thinks the intrusive Phorm web-tracking system can be operated within EU data-protection law. That is the British government which takes a famously “pragmatic” (ie non-conformant) approach to EU data protection law. The British government which retrospectively legalised the illegal collection of people’s DNA data. The British government which, we understand from Sir Bonar, is proceding with procurement of the “Intercept Refresh” universal web, phone and email comms data retention plan, without going to the trouble of getting that part of the Data Comms Bill through Parliament. Perhaps they will retrospectively legalise that also.

So when they respond to Commissioner Reding (hey! two posts in a row!) plainly it is from the moral high ground.

Hey, Maybe she does do something useful after all…

C’mon guys. If there’s nothing wrong with data retention, and there’s nothing wrong with Phorm or other projects like it, why not just market the Intercept Refresh product to the highest bidder? Then retrospectively legalise it?

Wibbi we all get into the habit of making up our own minds about what is ethical, legal and socially acceptable in our e-enabled world?