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Outrageous. I worry we in the USA are going this direction too.

bkkssnn 10y ago
Hate to break it to you but you've been there for some time now.
coldtea 10y ago
Have you seen the FBI files on people like MLK and Malcom X? In fact this goes as far back as the 19th century if not more, with workers rights activists, human rights activists and others. And doesn't stop at collecting data.
- toyg 10y ago
  As a technique, it goes waay back. There is some reason to believe even the Gunpowder Plot was engineered by authorities.
- SubiculumCode 10y ago
  You are correct to point those cases out, and I am aware of them. It was also outrageous to infiltrate the MLK movement. Not to downplay those cases, but there is a distinction between these cases with the FBI and the current case with London police: The London police is a local enforcement agency. When local police forces start actively hacking citizens there is a different kind of danger than when a federal agency does so, mainly because they have different enforcement interests and powers. When a local enforcement agency begins to spy and hack, that is a new level of harassment and violation of civil liberties.
mmjaa 10y ago
You've been there for a hell of a long time. For over 50 years your government has been subverting its own citizens movements which it finds unsavoury...
ak4g 10y ago
My siblings in this thread need to learn about the reforms that were done post-Watergate. The rule of law governs everyone, especially law enforcement, in the USA. If you don't believe that, why do you think lawmakers bother with getting laws passed to allow surveillance in the first place? You can't have it both ways. Either LEO follow the letter of the law and we're not in some 1984 scenario (because there are, in fact, substantial protections for privacy under the law), or they do not, and we're left with this mystery of why things like the USA PATRIOT Act exist, which now needs to be explained.
- tremon 10y ago
  The rule of law governs everyone, especially law enforcement, in the USA How many law enforcement officials have been indicted for homicide again?
- DanBC 10y ago
  I'm confused by your post. We see that these police had extensive legal surveillance powers available to them, but chose not to use those and to break the various laws to illegally spy on these people.
- effie 10y ago
  Rule of law guarantees law will be applied, not that people rights and freedom will be upheld.
  - TallGuyShort 10y ago
    And it's not even much of a guarantee of that.

Hate to break it to you but you've been there for some time now.

Have you seen the FBI files on people like MLK and Malcom X? In fact this goes as far back as the 19th century if not more, with workers rights activists, human rights activists and others. And doesn't stop at collecting data.

toyg 10y ago
As a technique, it goes waay back. There is some reason to believe even the Gunpowder Plot was engineered by authorities.
SubiculumCode 10y ago
You are correct to point those cases out, and I am aware of them. It was also outrageous to infiltrate the MLK movement. Not to downplay those cases, but there is a distinction between these cases with the FBI and the current case with London police: The London police is a local enforcement agency. When local police forces start actively hacking citizens there is a different kind of danger than when a federal agency does so, mainly because they have different enforcement interests and powers. When a local enforcement agency begins to spy and hack, that is a new level of harassment and violation of civil liberties.

mmjaa 10y ago

You've been there for a hell of a long time. For over 50 years your government has been subverting its own citizens movements which it finds unsavoury...

ak4g 10y ago

My siblings in this thread need to learn about the reforms that were done post-Watergate. The rule of law governs everyone, especially law enforcement, in the USA. If you don't believe that, why do you think lawmakers bother with getting laws passed to allow surveillance in the first place? You can't have it both ways. Either LEO follow the letter of the law and we're not in some 1984 scenario (because there are, in fact, substantial protections for privacy under the law), or they do not, and we're left with this mystery of why things like the USA PATRIOT Act exist, which now needs to be explained.

tremon 10y ago
The rule of law governs everyone, especially law enforcement, in the USA How many law enforcement officials have been indicted for homicide again?
DanBC 10y ago
I'm confused by your post. We see that these police had extensive legal surveillance powers available to them, but chose not to use those and to break the various laws to illegally spy on these people.
effie 10y ago
Rule of law guarantees law will be applied, not that people rights and freedom will be upheld.
- TallGuyShort 10y ago
  And it's not even much of a guarantee of that.