Super snoops updating Big Brother in the UK...

LONDON - NOVEMBER 01: Foreign Secretary William Hague attends the opening session at the London Cyberspace Conference on November 01, 2011 in London, England. The conference, which is being attended by representatives of 60 nations, is due to address rising levels of cybercrime and comes in the wake of a warning from the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) that such attacks are at 'disturbing' levels. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

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  Human rights groups on Sunday slammed British government plans to expand its powers to monitor email exchanges and website visits.
  Under the new legislation, internet companies would be instructed to install hardware to allow the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) -- Britain's electronic "listening" agency" -- to go through "on demand" every text message and email sent, websites accessed and phone calls made "in real time, the Sunday Times reported.
  The plans are expected to be unveiled next month.
  Nick Pickles, director of the Big Brother Watch campaign group, called the plans "an unprecedented step that will see Britain adopt the same kind of surveillance seen in China and Iran"
  Read more: http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/technology/13317736/rights-groups-attack-britains-snooping-plans/

Related articles

• Proposed UK legislation could allow for monitoring email and internet browsing activity without a warrant (theverge.com)
• http://uk.news.yahoo.com/monitoring-expansion-proposed-231042436.html (freedomhallblog.wordpress.com)
• UK government preparing email and internet surveillance legislation (scotsman.com)