Home Office accused of blocking UK public's scrutiny of Snoopers' Charter

The UK's Home Office has been accused of making "it near to impossible to provide a meaningful response" to the public consultations which campaigners fought legal battles to have included in the Investigatory Powers Act. In an open letter to Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, lawyers and civil society campaigners complained that …

[Conundrum1885]

Re: doubling the response time

(soapbox)

If someone does this, its probably going to rival a Hollywood blockbuster as "Most downloaded .torrent"

Also why in hell are we as a society allowing a few people to decide something this important? This is the same Government that brought us classified patents where inventors end up living in abject poverty because they have to start from scratch each time.

IP laws are a total mess

(/soapbox)

[tedleaf]

It's too late,your not going to get anything changed,fuhrer May and her ilk have already decided,those who voted the Tories in at the last joke election knew precisely what they were voting into power,far too late now,.most of you will be on the list to get hit with the next set of tax rises,which will get pushed through no matter what they "promised" in their manifesto,the poor people in the UK are almost tapped out as an income source for the govt,so all you nice white middle class Tory voters are next on the list,and look at all the goodies and freebies you have to be taxed and to be cut..

If you thought 33% basic tax was bad in the 70's-80's,just wait until the govt decides that they cannot hang on an longer and push through massive grabs on your unearned,stolen wealth..

Have a nice day,sleep well (while you can)

[0laf]

Did you really expect a Government consultation to consult with the stakeholders? Really?

You must know that a 'consultation' is a political opportunity to publicly justify a position already decided upon in private.

[Roland6]

>You must know that a 'consultation' is a political opportunity to publicly justify a position already decided upon in private.

Bodes well (not) for Brexit then...

[Winkypop]

RE: Consultation

Government consultation is just code for: "Selling the message" or "Bringing the people on a journey"

[Anonymous Coward]

Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

Sometimes, we look for complex 'terrorist reasoning' why someone did something when it can be the simplest, the most straightforward reasons that can get overlooked.

Things that cause frustration and people to snap, and our daily reliance on technology to get things done.

Driving in London is frustrating, especially without working Sat-Nav.

If Khalid Masood was simply trying to find a particular location, one of the interesting things is that using Google Maps (in a web browser at least), just at that key point where Khalid Masood 'flipped' prevents you from crossing Westminster Bridge on that side of the road.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/WestminsterBridge

(Click the arrow one place forward on Google Maps/Street view, to see you are prevented from continuing on that side of the road). You have to move to the right lane, to use Google Maps/Streetview (traffic heading towards you to cross the bridge) using the mapping.

Maybe Google maps has being restricted to prevent showing the bridge since the incident.

An interesting anomaly, all the same.

[BoldMan]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

If you go back to the map view and click on the little man, you see what routes have been mapped by their camera car and across the bridge there is only one route - they obviously haven't mapped it in both directions because what is the point? However their cars have had to negotiate the different lanes at either side of the bridge, so you get multiple pathways through the junctions. Not really suspicious, just Google mapping bollocks.

[Swarthy]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

Google's mapping bollocks now? Bloody hell! They are getting invasive now, aren't they.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

"They are getting invasive now, aren't they."

Give them an inch and they take a mile.

[Roland6]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

>Give them an inch and they take a mile.

You are confusing Google with the Ordinance Survey

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

Didn't make it totally clear. I was accessing via an iPad/iOS earlier which does actually prevent you from continuing and does 'stump' you, i.e. it's not obvious how to continue across the bridge. On a laptop its less obvious, as it just switches lanes, to oncoming traffic. Just thought it was an interesting anomaly, as its exactly the point he got frustrated and flipped.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

There is one lane in either direction across the Bridge for Cars, the other is for Buses/Taxes. The mapping just 'stops' at that key point on the bridge, towards Houses of Parliament. That shows it's being masked either by Google/Security Services (anyone can request this for Privacy reasons, though).

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

Driving in London is frustrating, especially without working Sat-Nav.

Buy a map, learn to read it, plan your journey.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

"Buy a map, learn to read it, plan your journey."

It's many years since I drove in London, but I did exactly that. (pre-satnav days anyway, so no choice). Not being a local, I chose what seemed like the most obvious and best route from NE outer London to SW outer London. It took most of the day to get there thanks to Vauxhall bridge and the surrounding routes being totally snowed under with barely moving traffic thanks to roadworks on the bridge.

I found out later there was a multi-year rolling programme to refurbish/resurface all the bridges and I'd picked the worst possible route. And no, the traffic news on the radio is fairy useless if you aren't a local because they almost always refer to local landmarks that I know F-all about.

Nowadays, my satnav would almost certainly have found a better route for me.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

Buy a map, learn to read it, plan your journey.

FFS. A Paper Map? In London?

You'd be transgressing the white line into a bus lane/restriced lane before you could say boo to a goose, while at the same time, average speeds are being measured.

Italy is even worse, with their bollard style cameras at the entry/exit of villages. Try navigating around the outskirts of Venice, Italy without Sat-Nav, they have local vehicle access restictions/times on certain roads.

A paper map won't get you very far (without incurring fines) anymore, especially if the road layout is unfamiliar.

It's very easy to find yourself naturally driving at circa 80mph within free flowing traffic on UK motorways, yet lots of new Highways agency cameras are being installed as part of Smart Motorway upgrades and set to trigger at 79mph on M25/M4, without additonal notification (signage switched off).

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Google Maps/Streetview - Westminister Bridge.

set to trigger at 79mph on M25/M4

If you can't tell when you're driving at 9 MPH over the speed limit you should perhaps hand in your licence.

[amanfromMars 1]

Lessons are never learned by that and those with severe learning difficulties.

Bad laws/legislation/right dodgy rules and regulations are always a mind field to be mined and full of absolutely fabulous opportunities for renegade rogue and second and third party exploitation. And those created in a closed shop environment are the greatest for ensuring and securing delivery of catastrophic goods/unforeseen unexpected events.

Such has always been the case …. since forever. Do the mentally retarded never learn seriously simple lessons?

Future problems will be suffered in-house and that is where the most carnage will be centred.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Lessons are never learned by that and those with severe learning difficulties.

@amanfromMars 1

Did you by any chance write the stuff Theresa May was telling Andrew Neil earlier?

I take that back, you would have probably made more sense, and been more honest. Didn't mean to insult you with such a cruel suggestion.

[amanfromMars 1]

Odd Odious Fish Out of Water are as Minnows in the Sees of FCUKing Great Sharks

@amanfromMars 1

Did you by any chance write the stuff Theresa May was telling Andrew Neil earlier?

I take that back, you would have probably made more sense, and been more honest. Didn't mean to insult you with such a cruel suggestion. .... Anonymous Coward

Ms May does tend to hyperbolic waffle with not substance being readily made available to support the blusterous rhetoric ..... but what else would one expect from the Parliamentary Pantomime Mind.

Leaders that does not make, for all before and trailing after them is fake for media production direction into future sight and sound programs/sublime tele audio visual pogroms.

And no offence or insult taken, AC, for the suggestion is only cruel if never to be true, tried and tested and failed.

[amanfromMars 1]

SMARTR IT Systems Paint Better Beta Pictures for Greater IntelAIgent Games Play

Further to Odd Odious Fish Out of Water are as Minnows in the Sees of FCUKing Great Sharks ......

Whenever your/one's view of worlds and these times is so easily made news and movies with sublime programming of/for reality, why ever do you tolerate the horrors and privations presented to you to make everything a struggle and so miserable. Such a nonsense is confirmation of a madness which intelligent imagination can conquer with alternative media tales and advanced virtual reality trails.

And whenever you yourself are intellectually challenged and compromised and unable to produce such novel goods, fear not, whenever the gift is within the easy grasp and remit of sundry A.N.Others who be not puppets crash testing dummies.

Would the fool following a folly find such a fabulous opportunity with myriad zeroday vulnerabilities to exploit, an existential threat with innumerable invisible and intangible Persistent Advanced Cyber Threats or a Surreal Treat to be enjoyed and enjoined?

What is IT to be for you in the near future and longer term? More of the same austere chaos or everything changed and greatly different?