UK: Dismantling the database state

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Deutsch: [GB: Abbau des Datenbankstaates | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1937]

The new UK government’s coalition agreement includes a list of measures in
order “to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the
Labour Government and roll back state intrusion.”

This includes the following:

– The scrapping of ID card scheme, the National Identity register, the
next generation of biometric passports and the Contact Point Database.
– Outlawing the finger-printing of children at school without parental
permission.
– The extension of the scope of the Freedom of Information Act to
provide greater transparency.
– Adopting the protections of the Scottish model for the DNA database.
– The protection of historic freedoms through the defence of trial by
jury.
– The restoration of rights to non-violent protest.
– The review of libel laws to protect freedom of speech.
– Further regulation of CCTV.
– Safeguards against the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.
– Ending of storage of internet and email records without good reason.

The latter two points make a possible reference to the Regulation of
Investigatory Powers Act and the reform or repeal of the Data Retention
Directive implementation respectively.

The legal status of several state databases have been called into question
in a 2009 comprehensive map of UK government databases called the “Database
State” published by the liberal Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust

Full Text: Conservative-Lib Dem deal (12.05.2010)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8677933.stm

Welcome to the former Big Brother House (17.05.2010)
http://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/2010/welcome-to-the-former-big-brother-house

EDRi-gram: Database state (25.03.2009)
http://www.edri.org/edri-gram/number7.6/reading