Under the guise of "Terrorism" or "Counter-Terrorism", your Smartphone can legally be hacked by a wide range of Government Agency's. That means all your personal data (meta data) will most probably be extracted, including browser history, photos, personal files, and anything else of interest. But hey, it's alright, they're just trying to protect you, right? Yeah right. There is a petition going, which now has over 200,000 signatures.
But the word is that this Bill has got the go-ahead and no amount of signatures will change that. All the Investigatory Powers Act needs is Royal Assent and then it is part of the Law. Let's hope the Royal who looks over this ridiculous set of proposed Orwellian laws thinks it's just as over the top as the rest of us do. Sadly, I doubt they will. Update: This law has now been passed - Signed, sealed and delivered. Welcome to England, the surveillance capital of the world.
Please be aware: This website is about mobile phones, so I'll stay on topic. But all of the above (and below) also applies to computers. Including Desktop PCs, Laptops, Tablets, etc. In fact, any device that can connect to the Internet. All Internet Service Providers will have to keep a full record of their customers activities. Browsing history, connection locations, and all other data must stored for 12 months. Your Mail will also be monitored. I'm talking about postal mail, not email (email is monitored also). Where was it sent from, who sent it, where to, who to, etc. A lot of Data Mining will no doubt be taking place. Read a great comment while browsing the Internet about this issue. And I agree with it 100%.
"When Theresa May gives us a 24/7 broadcast of her private life and her business then I will agree. Otherwise, the same arguments she holds against it apply to my own life."Government Authorities can also ask for help with hacking and decryption by the companies who made or own the websites or devices, such as Apple in order to compromise a stubborn (protected) iPhone, should the need arise.
What's the best form of protection for mobile phones?
The best method for keeping eyes out of your mobile phone is to go old school. Ditch the Smartphone and get yourself a basic Nokia 3310, 8210, 8310 or similar. Do not store any information on the phone that you don't want anyone to read but yourself. I have mentioned the following words a few times on this blog. Smartphones are tracking devices, spying on everything you do. This new law dramatically increases how many agencies can legally snoop into and basically steal your personal data. Also included, listening to your phone calls, voice mails, chat logs, and even activating your microphone without your knowledge in order to listen in on your conversations. This has been going on for years already but will now be magnified.
Best protection overall?
Throw your computer, Laptop, or mobile device in the bin and get yourself a Pager. haha. You don't need to go that far. There is a lot of encryption / protection software out there that will work reasonably well with protecting privacy to a certain degree.
These spying powers, which are soon to be given to many more British authorities, will no doubt be abused to the fullest. Warrants are meant to be needed. But that is only for bigger cases (Terrorist info and bulk interceptions need "double lock"). But for most instances nothing is needed. No level of authorisation. The databases that hold all your stored information logs can be accessed virtually and then acted upon how authorities see fit. Not to mention the security risk of public data, which will be a prime target for hackers. And we've all seen what's happened in that regard in recent years. How many big companies have been hacked and peoples information stolen. There has been a lot. The Snoopers Charter opens the door for the stealing of public data on a huge scale.
Guess who won't be getting tracked, hacked or spied on. The people in Government. MP's to be precise. Apparently, their privacy is more important than everyone else's. Can you believe the audacity! They will not be spied on but everyone else will. One rule for them and another rule for everyone else. I don't care if you think you have nothing to hide, these new "Laws" are an extreme invasion on people's privacy and should be abolished immediately. The rise in people using VPN's and VPS', also browsers like Tor and Startpage is expected to rise dramatically. With VPN's and VPS', ensure that none of the servers you use are located in the UK. Everything now needs to be encrypted if you want some level of privacy (Including phone calls).
What is happening, or has happened to the UK. It really is becoming like George Orwell's 1984. A side note: Were you aware that every UK citizen's medical history was also sold to Insurance companies years ago? Ever wondered why you see those Insurance advertisements that say "no medical or health checks are required". Well now you know why.. They already have access to all your medical history.
So they don't need you to disclose it to them over the phone. Now that's sinister. And if that wasn't enough, if you make a minuscule error on your application, but the insurance you're applying for gets the nod and goes ahead, after decades of you making the monthly or weekly payments, if you ever need to claim, the Insurance company can void your contract under the non disclosure of material facts. To end on a positive note: This is a great time to invest in VPN companies!
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