The information commissioner has ordered the opening of confidential files on a wide range of high-risk IT projects, including the ID cards scheme, joined up police intelligence systems and the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT). It is the most far-reaching decision under the Freedom of Information Act for government IT.
Source: Computer Weekly
Officers are targeting children as young as 10 with the aim of placing their DNA profiles on the national database to improve their chances of solving crimes, it is claimed.
The alleged practice is also described as part of a “long-term crime prevention strategy” to dissuade youths from committing offences in the future.
Source: Telegraph.co.uk
The government has been warned it faces defeat in the House of Lords over its plans to hold almost a million people’s DNA profiles for up to 12 years.
…
Liberal Democrat peer Lady Miller said
“We will be joining with the other opposition party here to remedy what we see as many of the deficiencies in that part of the Bill that addresses that important issue,”Conservative Lady Hanham said
“Retention of DNA samples from people who have never been charged let alone convicted of a crime is wrong.” “There is much in the government’s proposals, such as the retention of information for up to 12 years where there has been no prosecution, that is still quite unacceptable.”
Source:BBC
Every five years the EU adopts a five-year plan for justice and home affairs affecting many areas of EU citizens’ civil liberties – policing, immigration and asylum, criminal law, databases and data protection. The Tampere programme (2000-2004) was followed by the Hague programme[pdf] (2005-2009), which included the commitment to bring in biometric passports and ID cards, and a new programme will be adopted in Stockholm in December.
Source: guardian.co.uk
Police surveillance of a peaceful protester was ruled unlawful today in a decision that lawyers say will change the way demonstrations and protests are policed.
Judges ruled that specialist surveillance units from the Metropolitan police had breached the human rights of Andrew Wood, an arms trade campaigner, when they photographed him and stored the pictures on a police database.
The DNA profiles of 800,000 innocent citizens stored on police databases are to be destroyed, the government will announce this week. The move follows a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in December that keeping the samples “could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society”. Those on the England and Wales database despite having no criminal conviction include people who were arrested but never charged and others who have been acquitted in court.
Source: The Telegraph
Have you or your child been arrested and had your DNA and fingerprints taken by the police?
If so, you will probably have a computer record on Britain’s National DNA Database.
The Government is currently keeping innocent people’s records on the DNA database until they reach age 100. In Scotland it is against the law for the Government to do this.
At least 800,000 innocent people who have been arrested in England, Wales or Northern Ireland are thought to have their DNA and computer records retained.
If you are concerned about how the Government might misuse this information, or fail to keep it safe, you can use this website to help you get your computer records deleted and your DNA destroyed.
Source: Reclaim Your DNA
Government officials handed confidential police intelligence about environmental activists to the energy giant E.ON before a planned peaceful demonstration, according to private emails seen by the Guardian.
A place to access your citizens’ information. Statebook
Paul Leicester, a teenager from Southport who found a mobile phone and handed it in to the police, was arrested and held at the police station for four hours. He also had his fingerprints, photograph and DNA sample taken.
Source: The Crosby Herald (via Home Office Watch)
Hat tip: @helenduffett
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