Queen's Speech: Internet monitoring plan to have 'strict safeguards'

How are people feeling lately about the draft UK legislation to monitor e-mails, phone calls and internet use?

I like this line: The government argues the law needs to keep pace with technological changes and enable the security services to confront changing threats to the UK.

If truly the case, I would expect that the government should be able to come up with plans that would focus on threats to the UK, rather than a blanket monitoring of the entire country (fully understanding this point:  laws date back to 2000 and they are not equipped to cover social media, Skype and other methods of communication.)

I guess my cynicism comes from having friends who work for the Police looking at this data currently, receiving thousands of lines of phone call data (nearest transmission point, number called, duration, etc) from the mobile providers. 

This legislation seems like it will produce massive amounts of data, rather than targetting people visiting website xyz, or dialing number x.

Net Neutrality: the Netherlands open the dance...

Hello,

I am not fluent in Dutch so I cannot read the original text; however, standing to the article below

http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2012/05/09/dutch-embrace-net-neutrality/

the Dutch parliament has just approved a new law to regulate over the so called "net neutrality" principle.
Difficult to judge without reading the original text, but telcos are losing big bucks with Skype and similar services. If on one hand perhaps Skype's usability on a mobile is not the best, on the other Whatsapp seems to become a real alternative to SMS. I am not aware of any telco filtering Whatsapp traffic but... one never knows!

Regards,
Salva

"The Digital Human"

I've yet to listen to it, but this sounds right up my street, examining the social context and implications of technology (which, in my view, should play a considerable role in technology's regulation) — the BBC's new seven-part radio series, "The Digital Human."

Whether it's available to those outside the UK, I'm not sure, but connecting to the UoS's VPN and ensuring that you route all traffic down the resulting tunnel might do the trick...

Ofcom 'won't be rushed'

I know Salvatore posted on the topic of Murdoch previously, although interesting to see the topic again in the BBC and the pressure being applied by Labour and the Lib Dems and that Ofcom will not be rushed. 

In a view perhaps appropriate for a regulator, the review will take "as long as it takes".

I am curious to see how this one turns out.