Privacy and the new UK government

13/05/2010

An Open Letter to the Trustees, Advisory Board supporters and partners of Privacy International

Dear Friends of PI,

After a long decade of privacy devastation in the UK, there is a sense of cautious optimism here about the new coalition government. Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have agreed a commitment to a range of important reforms which could help roll back the tide of intrusive measures which have made Britain the most surveillance-intense country in the democratic world.

The mood music has most definitely changed. Even a year ago the right to privacy was barely tolerated in conversation between Ministers and officials. Now a new administration has come to power in part on a platform of rights protection rather than surveillance. Many of the key figures in government have been long-standing supporters both of privacy and of our organisation.

We should take a brief moment to feel delighted about this remarkable outcome. It is a tribute not just to the integrity of many parliamentary candidates, but also to the privacy and rights advocates who down the years have fought to change the hearts and minds of the political parties. To all of you, I want to express our deepest gratitude for your support and hard work during what have been dark and depressing times.

However, enthusiastic as we may be with the prospect of repealing identity cards, scrapping onerous databases, deleting DNA profiles of the innocent, restraining the fingerprinting of children, regulating visual surveillance, restricting communications surveillance, and the prospect of political reform, we are guided by an understanding that the price of freedom is eternal vigilence. When people become satisfied and complacent the opportunities for intrusion are magnified.

Our "brief moment" of celebration is now over. Now we must be ready to undertake the difficult task of galvanising and consolidating the political commitments that have been made. It is one thing for a government to repeal the most repugnant initiatives of its predecessors, and quite another to show sensitivity and restraint when future opportunities become available for new surveillance measures. Put simply, it is easy to condemn what has gone before, but it is infinitely harder for any government to resist the temptation to introduce new and even more intrusive initiatives.

Let's not forget that the outgoing party has no leg to stand on in opposition to any surveillance scheme, so they will need to be educated and cultivated. In the meantime, we will to some extent take on the role of the unofficial opposition party on these issues.

Rather than relaxing in the sunshine of Britain's new era of liberty and freedom, Privacy International and our colleagues and partners should intensify our efforts to drive the privacy message deep into the DNA of government. Anything short of that Herculean effort will result in a complacent society and an indolent parliament. The outcome would be disastrous.

This is not a moment in history to relax. This is the moment to press regulators to be more aggressive, for parliament to be more proactive, for civil society to be more confidently assertive and for the public to demand the restoration of its rights. Those who claim to be our guardians must lift their game. We must also continue to keep the debate alive, informed and rich to ensure that the public continues to be aware of its rights and that they can and should seek redress through the courts and regulators.

Having said all this, the political outcome in Britain should send a message to governments around the world. Privacy matters. Rights matter. Government can be seduced by officials and industry into believing that the electorate wants surveillance, but the UK political outcome tells a different story. Ultimately people believe in the right to privacy and they will be prepared to defend that right at the ballot box.

Simon Davies, Director

Related:
History of ID Cards in the United Kingdom
Leading surveillance societies in the EU and the World 2007
PHR2006 - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Leading surveillance societies in the EU and the World 2006