The UK Government Is Expanding A Far-Reaching Surveillance System That Logs The Online Activity Of Millions

A largely secretive (in terms of the mechanism by which it is carried out and the content it entails) surveillance system based on people’s internet activity is existing in the test phase in the UK.

Like many before it, this government scheme is also considered controversial, and while its existence is not a secret, a lot of questions remain unanswered.

With roots in the Investigatory Powers Act – itself strongly criticized by privacy and civil advocates – internet connection records (ICRs) have reportedly been trialed since 2021 by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).

What information is available from official documents reveals that the tool in question is targeting millions of citizens’ internet records via their internet histories.

Over the past year, it emerged that the surveillance system, supposed to be used by law enforcement nationwide, is designed to log and store these histories.

via reclaimthenet.org

Oh dear.