Big Brother Watch Launch Election 2010 Manifesto

Big Brother Watch – the non-partisan grassroots campaign fighting intrusions on our privacy and liberty – launch their Election 2010 Manifesto

To read the full manifesto with all 30 pledges please click this link: http://www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/manifesto.pdf

The pledges include:

• Fewer state databases; including scrapping ContactPoint, the National Identity Register and the NHS Spine

• Less surveillance; including reform of e-Borders, ending the use of Ripa except for imprisonable offences and scrapping the obligation on ISPs and Telephone Companies to retain information on subscribers and supply it to government

• Greater privacy; including scrapping Section 44: stop and search, ending the roll-out of full-body scanners at UK airports and securing the EU police databases

On the day of the first Leaders' Debate on Home Affairs, Big Brother Watch launches our election manifesto – a list of achievable legislative pledges that would go some way to rolling-back the surveillance state; give the British people greater freedom to live their lives without state interference; and end the persecution of the law-abiding British family.

The main political parties have acknowledged the issue of civil liberties in their election manifestos, but have so far only made a handful of pledges that would help reduce the enormous incursion into personal privacy that has occurred in the past two decades. Big Brother Watch intends to hold any politician standing for election on 6th May to this manifesto.

Dylan Sharpe, Campaign Director of Big Brother Watch, said:

“This election is the most important, in terms of civil liberties, for several decades. Opposition parties that seemingly understand the values of privacy and freedom are facing down an over-mighty government intent on hoarding our data and creating ever-more onerous restrictions on our daily lives. This manifesto spells-out the relatively simple legislative reforms an incoming government could take that would restore our privacy and freedom to a level befitting the home of liberal democracy.”

How do the main parties match-up?

Big Brother Watch: End the intercept modernisation programme… An end to Control Orders… No restart for random stop and search

Labour: “We are proud of our record on civil liberties” (Labour Party Manifesto 2010, p.5:4)

Conservatives: “We believe that personal data should be controlled by individual citizens…we will take steps to protect people from unwarranted intrusion by the state” (Conservative Party Manifesto 2010, p.79)

Lib Dems: “Liberal Democrats will protect and restore your freedoms. We will introduce a Freedom Bill” (Liberal Democrat Party Manifesto 2010, p.93)

On ID cards…

Big Brother Watch: Scrap the National Identity Register and ID card scheme

Labour: “The new biometric ID scheme…will be offered to an increasing number of British citizens” (p.5:5)

Conservatives: “We will scrap ID cards, the National Identity Register” (p.79) 

Lib Dems: “Scrap intrusive Identity Cards and have more police instead, and also scrap plans for expensive, unnecessary new passports with additional biometric data” (p.94)

On CCTV and DNA…

Big Brother Watch: Requirement for local councils to have a public consultation process before installing any new CCTV system… Introduce procedures for the removal of the DNA profiles of innocent people

Labour: “We will continue to make full use of CCTV and DNA technology” (p.5:4)

Conservatives: “We will legislate to make sure that our DNA database is used primarily to store information about those who are guilty of committing crimes rather than those who are innocent” (p.80)

Lib Dems: “We will regulate CCTV…Remove innocent people from the police DNA database” (pp.94-5)

On state databases…

Big Brother Watch: A commitment to introduce no new large state databases and greater checks on data sharing within government

Labour: “We will now publish a Domesday Book of all non-personal datasets held by government and its agencies” (p.9:5)

Conservatives: “We will scale back Labour's database state and protect the privacy of the public's information….requiring Privacy Impact Assessments of any proposal that involves data collection or sharing” (p.79)

Lib Dems: “Scrap the intrusive ContactPoint database…End plans to store your email and internet records without good cause” (p.94)

To read the full manifesto click here or click the link on the right of this post.