The UK surveillance state. Why?

[Twilight Hue]

For a free country, the UK surveillance system has reached epidemic proportions to the point where one wonders what's really going on with all this? From all appearances it's network is massive and intrusive.

Is there a distrust of its citizenry?

Is there something going on that nobody is talking about?

Why has it gone to an epic scale that it has as it pertains to government surveillance inside a supposedly free country?

And last, how are UK citizens dealing with it all?

The UK just legalized everything that Snowden warned us about

 

[Rival]

It's just a British thing. And honestly, nobody gives a ****. We have work to do, children to feed and taxes to pay. It's life as usual nearly 100% of the time in this country. When terrorists strike in London, the locals only question is, Are the trains still running?

 

[Twilight Hue]

It's just a British thing. And honestly, nobody gives a ****. We have work to do, children to feed and taxes to pay. It's life as usual nearly 100% of the time in this country. When terrorists strike in London, the locals only question is, Are the trains still running?

I guess over here it's kind of shocking to see and hear about. I suppose it makes sense given that the average UK citizen can do nothing about it.

I suppose the best thing is to continue on as always.

Still from an American perspective, there's a lot of surveillance here, but it's from private sources for the greater part.

I'm not sure if I could live in something that that. The sheer amount of government surveillance. It comes across very much like a dystopian environment that people have to live in. Very George Orwellian and very errie to me that somebody is continually monitoring you 24/7.

 

[Father Heathen]

It's just a British thing. And honestly, nobody gives a ****. We have work to do, children to feed and taxes to pay. It's life as usual nearly 100% of the time in this country. When terrorists strike in London, the locals only question is, Are the trains still running?

From the outside it appears to be a rather Orwellian system. Not that the U.S. gov is much better, it just tries to be more clandestine about it.

 

[Rival]

I'm not sure if I could live in something that that. It comes across very much like a dystopian environment that people have to live in. Very George Orwellian and very errie to me that somebody is continually monitoring you 24/7.

It's not something one thinks about.

We've been spied on for a very long time. The monarchs of old had spies left right and centre. There is a famous portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth I with her dress covered in eyes and ears to symbolise this. It's called the Rainbow Portrait. You'll find that people of countries which had absolute monarchs are somewhat used to this and lack care.

 

[Rival]

From the outside it appears to be a rather Orwellian system. Not that the U.S. gov is much better, it just tries to be more clandestine about it.

It's really nothing like an Orwellian hell lol.

 

[Valjean]

Maybe more like a happy, Huxleyan, Brave New World?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Not that the U.S. gov is much better, it just tries to be more clandestine about it.

The government has some, and we complain when that happens, but yet we seem to have no problems when it comes to banks, various corporations, and even our phones tracking us and reporting what we do so they can make money off it.
How many people have even bothered to jailbreak their phone to turn such tracking features off? How many block/disable tracking cookies on their web browser?

 

[Father Heathen]

It's really nothing like an Orwellian hell lol.

I know it's not, but slippery slopes and all that.

 

[Twilight Hue]

From the outside it appears to be a rather Orwellian system. Not that the U.S. gov is much better, it just tries to be more clandestine about it.

My thoughts go back to Snowden and the NSA.

 

[Twilight Hue]

It's not something one thinks about.

We've been spied on for a very long time. The monarchs of old had spies left right and centre. There is a famous portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth I with her dress covered in eyes and ears to symbolise this. It's called the Rainbow Portrait. You'll find that people of countries which had absolute monarchs are somewhat used to this and lack care.

So it's something that people been already accustomed to for ages I take it?

Still, I do wonder in spite of complacency why there was such an explosion in the installation of surveillance hardware seemingly out-of-the-blue across the UK?

It seems like something just triggered it all.

 

[oldbadger]

For a free country, the UK surveillance system has reached epidemic proportions to the point where one wonders what's really going on with all this?

It's true the UK is more densely covered with CCTV and traffic surveillance than anywhere else. And Gov forces now have powers to observe all financial transactions. They can also observe all IT traffic, phone calls, texts......... the lot.

From all appearances it's network is massive and intrusive.

It's great if you want more protection and security in your life. It's dreadful if you're a terrorist, criminal or tax dodger of any kind.

Is there a distrust of its citizenry?

We tend to lock our shops and everything else when they close. How about where you live?

Is there something going on that nobody is talking about?

Yes, and always has been, but it's getting harder to hide mess about now.

Why has it gone to an epic scale that it has as it pertains to government surveillance inside a supposedly free country?

Because we want to deter and defend from crime and loss, and catch the villains when they try.

And last, how are UK citizens dealing with it all?

........ fitting their own CCTV into cars, cycle helmets, properties etc. Mobile videoing any criminals seen and putting the vids up on U-Tube to catch and report. WE're better at this stuff than the friggin' Gov crowd!

 

[Rival]

Still, I do wonder in spite of complacency why there was such an explosion in the installation of surveillance hardware seemingly out-of-the-blue across the UK?

I'm not sure, you'd have to have a deeper look into it.

 

[Father Heathen]

It's true the UK is more densely covered with CCTV and traffic surveillance than anywhere else. And Gov forces now have powers to observe all financial transactions. They can also observe all IT traffic, phone calls, texts......... the lot.


It's great if you want more protection and security in your life. It's dreadful if you're a terrorist, criminal or tax dodger of any kind.


We tend to lock our shops and everything else when they close. How about where you live?


Yes, and always has been, but it's getting harder to hide mess about now.


Because we want to deter and defend from crime and loss, and catch the villains when they try.


........ fitting their own CCTV into cars, cycle helmets, properties etc. Mobile videoing any criminals seen and putting the vids up on U-Tube to catch and report. WE're better at this stuff than the friggin' Gov crowd!

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." -Benjamin Franklin

 

[ChristineM]

I guess over here it's kind of shocking to see and hear about. I suppose it makes sense given that the average UK citizen can do nothing about it.

I suppose the best thing is to continue on as always.

Still from an American perspective, there's a lot of surveillance here, but it's from private sources for the greater part.

I'm not sure if I could live in something that that. The sheer amount of government surveillance. It comes across very much like a dystopian environment that people have to live in. Very George Orwellian and very errie to me that somebody is continually monitoring you 24/7.

The majority is privately operated cctv cameras, banks, offices, shops etc.

Most government "spying" (local government/police) is for traffic control and Crowd control at sports/entertainment events.

As for government, surveillance is mass surveillance of communications. There simply are not enough operators to listen in/view the millions of calls/texts/emails/facebook/forum messages each day so software is used to flag up key words. Whether it's effective or not? Who knows but the security services make a big thing about catching criminal gangs/suspected terrorists before they do something nasty without actually telling the means of tracing the culprits

It's pretty much ubiquitous like wallpaper, mr and mrs average don't care so long as the traffic flows and the terrorists keep getting caught.

 

[Rival]

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." -Benjamin Franklin

Freedom isn't a big deal over here. We'd rather be safe.

 

[ChristineM]

So it's something that people been already accustomed to for ages I take it?

Still, I do wonder in spite of complacency why there was such an explosion in the installation of surveillance hardware seemingly out-of-the-blue across the UK?

It seems like something just triggered it all.

It's been a slow and steady buildup for the last 30 years.

 

[Father Heathen]

Freedom isn't a big deal over here. We'd rather be safe.

Personally, I think freedom is worth the risks and perils.

 

[Rival]

Personally, I think freedom is worth the risks and perils.

We don't. This is a massive difference between the U.K. and the U.S.

 

[ChristineM]

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." -Benjamin Franklin

Isis did not exist when Ben Franklin uttered those words