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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Britain is 'surveillance society' | Britain is 'surveillance society' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Britain is "waking up to a surveillance society that is already all around us," the government's Information Commissioner has said. | Britain is "waking up to a surveillance society that is already all around us," the government's Information Commissioner has said. |
| Richard Thomas spoke after research found people's actions were increasingly being monitored. | Richard Thomas spoke after research found people's actions were increasingly being monitored. |
| The Surveillance Studies Network report says there are up to 4.2m CCTV cameras - about one for every 14 people. | The Surveillance Studies Network report says there are up to 4.2m CCTV cameras - about one for every 14 people. |
| Other techniques are used to record people's work rate, buying habits and travel movements. | Other techniques are used to record people's work rate, buying habits and travel movements. |
| Surveillance will increase in the next decade, the report adds. | Surveillance will increase in the next decade, the report adds. |
| 'Looser laws' | 'Looser laws' |
| The report's co-writer Dr David Murakami-Wood told BBC News that, compared to other industrialised Western states, the UK was "the most surveilled country". | The report's co-writer Dr David Murakami-Wood told BBC News that, compared to other industrialised Western states, the UK was "the most surveilled country". |
| "We have more CCTV cameras and we have looser laws on privacy and data protection," he said. | "We have more CCTV cameras and we have looser laws on privacy and data protection," he said. |
| "We really do have a society which is premised both on state secrecy and the state not giving up its supposed right to keep information under control while, at the same time, wanting to know as much as it can about us." | "We really do have a society which is premised both on state secrecy and the state not giving up its supposed right to keep information under control while, at the same time, wanting to know as much as it can about us." |
| Mistakes can also easily be made with serious consequences Information Commissioner Richard Thomas | Mistakes can also easily be made with serious consequences Information Commissioner Richard Thomas |
| The research says surveillance ranges from the US national security agency monitoring all telecommunications traffic passing through Britain to key stroke information used to gauge work rates and global positioning satellite information tracking company vehicles. | The research says surveillance ranges from the US national security agency monitoring all telecommunications traffic passing through Britain to key stroke information used to gauge work rates and global positioning satellite information tracking company vehicles. |
| The report also highlights "dataveillance" - the combination of credit card, mobile phone and loyalty card information for marketing purposes. | The report also highlights "dataveillance" - the combination of credit card, mobile phone and loyalty card information for marketing purposes. |
| Mr Thomas called for a debate about the risks if information gathered is wrong or falls into the wrong hands. | Mr Thomas called for a debate about the risks if information gathered is wrong or falls into the wrong hands. |
| "Today I fear that we are in fact waking up to a surveillance society that is already all around us," he said. | "Today I fear that we are in fact waking up to a surveillance society that is already all around us," he said. |
| Inaccurate | Inaccurate |
| But while surveillance could help fight terrorism and crime, it could "intrude into our private space", he added. | But while surveillance could help fight terrorism and crime, it could "intrude into our private space", he added. |
| Have Your Say If it prevents criminal behaviour or improves its detection I'm all for it. Mark Jones, Plymouth href="Http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=4595&edition=1&ttl=20061101204537" class="">Send us your comments "Mistakes can 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." | |
| The report will be presented to the 28th International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners' Conference in London on Thursday, hosted by the Information Commissioner's Office. | The report will be presented to the 28th International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners' Conference in London on Thursday, hosted by the Information Commissioner's Office. |
| The office is an independent body established to promote access to official data and to protect personal details. | The office is an independent body established to promote access to official data and to protect personal details. |