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...so I guess Brexit was a good idea after all.

iamtheworstdev 1y ago
are we pretending the UK isn't a pro surveillance state?
nickslaughter02 1y ago
In a way. The UK has long waged war against encryption, mandating backdoors and weaking security of people. There's no doubt they would salivating over these proposals and voted for them. "45 organizations and cybersecurity experts sign open letter expressing concerns with UK’s Online Safety Bill" https://www.globalencryption.org/2022/04/45-organizations-and-cybersecurity-experts-sign-open-letter-expressing-concerns-with-uks-online-safety-bill/ https://www.globalencryption.org/2022/04/45-organizations-an... "UK Government Denies U-Turn on Plan to Scan Encrypted Messages" https://www.macrumors.com/2023/09/07/uk-government-plan-scan-encrypted-messages/ https://www.macrumors.com/2023/09/07/uk-government-plan-scan... "UK’s secret Apple iCloud backdoor order is a global emergency, say critics" https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/10/uks-secret-apple-icloud-backdoor-order-is-a-global-emergency-say-critics/ https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/10/uks-secret-apple-icloud-ba...
jeroenhd 1y ago
The UK has implemented measures much more draconian than what this working group is even considering at the moment. Perhaps it was a good idea, seeing as the UK was often a major supporter of plans like these, and that they are now no longer a threat to EU citizens, but Brexit certainly won't protect you if you're a UK citizen.
- hn_throw2025 1y ago
  The difference being that we can elect new governments every 5 years with the power to repeal laws, if something is sufficiently unpalatable to the population. Our rulemakers are not immune to voter displeasure. Try that with the Commission/Council steamroller. You get what they want, forever.
  - cbeach 1y ago
    I'm confident that the long-standing duopoly of UK establishment parties is coming to an end in 2029: https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/#national-parliament-voting-intention https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/... Hopefully a younger party of politicians from outside the political establishment will have new ideas on civil liberties, and will succumb less to pro-surveillance lobbyists. Here's a detailed analysis of where Reform UK stands from a libertarian perspective: https://libertarianism.uk/2022/12/01/some-thoughts-on-the-reform-party-uks-latest-policy-proposals/ https://libertarianism.uk/2022/12/01/some-thoughts-on-the-re... FTA: > The commitment to protect civil liberties and freedom of speech is welcome, but I think it doesn’t go nearly far enough. Opposition to central bank digital currencies, and a commitment to preserve cash, are also welcome; though the proof of those particular puddings is still to come.

are we pretending the UK isn't a pro surveillance state?

In a way. The UK has long waged war against encryption, mandating backdoors and weaking security of people. There's no doubt they would salivating over these proposals and voted for them. "45 organizations and cybersecurity experts sign open letter expressing concerns with UK’s Online Safety Bill" https://www.globalencryption.org/2022/04/45-organizations-and-cybersecurity-experts-sign-open-letter-expressing-concerns-with-uks-online-safety-bill/ https://www.globalencryption.org/2022/04/45-organizations-an... "UK Government Denies U-Turn on Plan to Scan Encrypted Messages" https://www.macrumors.com/2023/09/07/uk-government-plan-scan-encrypted-messages/ https://www.macrumors.com/2023/09/07/uk-government-plan-scan... "UK’s secret Apple iCloud backdoor order is a global emergency, say critics" https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/10/uks-secret-apple-icloud-backdoor-order-is-a-global-emergency-say-critics/ https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/10/uks-secret-apple-icloud-ba...

jeroenhd 1y ago

The UK has implemented measures much more draconian than what this working group is even considering at the moment. Perhaps it was a good idea, seeing as the UK was often a major supporter of plans like these, and that they are now no longer a threat to EU citizens, but Brexit certainly won't protect you if you're a UK citizen.

hn_throw2025 1y ago
The difference being that we can elect new governments every 5 years with the power to repeal laws, if something is sufficiently unpalatable to the population. Our rulemakers are not immune to voter displeasure. Try that with the Commission/Council steamroller. You get what they want, forever.
- cbeach 1y ago
  I'm confident that the long-standing duopoly of UK establishment parties is coming to an end in 2029: https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/#national-parliament-voting-intention https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/... Hopefully a younger party of politicians from outside the political establishment will have new ideas on civil liberties, and will succumb less to pro-surveillance lobbyists. Here's a detailed analysis of where Reform UK stands from a libertarian perspective: https://libertarianism.uk/2022/12/01/some-thoughts-on-the-reform-party-uks-latest-policy-proposals/ https://libertarianism.uk/2022/12/01/some-thoughts-on-the-re... FTA: > The commitment to protect civil liberties and freedom of speech is welcome, but I think it doesn’t go nearly far enough. Opposition to central bank digital currencies, and a commitment to preserve cash, are also welcome; though the proof of those particular puddings is still to come.