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Time to sue the government for copyright infringement?

They do it in China. They do it in many Arab nations. They do it in many other places.

They're now planning to do it in the UK.

How long before they do it here? (if they're not doing it already)

I'm talking about comprehensive Net surveillance and monitoring, an activity which (people are usually told) is an essential tool to reduce crime and terrorism.

After initially announcing that it was seeking greater powers to intercept and monitor Net-based communications, the UK government has done something of a backtrack and now seems to be saying that its proposals were mis-understood.

A day after massive outrage from the industry and those who value their privacy, the government has stated that "all we are doing is updating the rules which currently apply to mobile telephone calls to allow the police and security services to go after terrorists and serious criminals, and updating that to apply to technology like Skype which is increasingly being used by people who want to make those calls and send those emails."

Can this line be believed?

This proposed UK law has many similarities to the Search and Surveillance law that has been foisted on all good honest Kiwis of late.

Now, various arms of the state will be able to monitor and record all kinds of electronic communications and interactions without much in the way of checks and balances.

One of the best quotes in the UK's media is this one from Dominic Raab, a British MP: "[the new law] fundamentally changes the nature of the relationship between the state and the citizen", and turns every individual "into a suspect".

So true!

But where was all this outcry when NZ's S&S bill was proposed and passed into law?

I know that NZers are pretty laid back but I'm still gobsmacked that so many people seem so indifferent to the provisions of this legislation.

In the 21st century we've become very much aware that thoughts and writing are now classified as (intellectual) property so any law which allows a government to simply take what they want (under the charade of National Security or crime prevention) is theft.

If they can arrest Kim Dotcom and seize all his assets because he was allegedly engaged in the theft of intellectual property then surely, if the government engages in the the copying of people's private communications, they are being hugely hypocritical.

I claim copyright over all my communications and if the government chooses to copy them without my permission, they are creating their own "megaconspiracy" to infringe that copyright.

Come to think of it -- given that governments all over the world seem to be happy to get into bed with big-content owners so as to enforce copyright law -- maybe copyright law is the way to bring down this move towards "total surveillance".

If any government copies (a necessary part of such surveillance) anyone's copyrighted electronic communications, they ought to be subject to legal action -- in just the same way that downloading a blockbuster movie from a P2P network exposes the downloader to prosecution.

Come on governments -- you can't have things both ways.

After all -- haven't YOU told US that copyright infringement helps support terrorism, child pornography and all manner of other crimes?

Of course we all know that I'm just tilting at windmills. I have absolutely no doubt that the governments who seek to read every word we type have already exempted themselves from the provisions of copyright law. Once again it will be a case of "do as we say, not as we do".

Come on, where's my Raspberry Pi -- the need for that alternet is growing every day.

Maybe the guys at Pirate Bay could create their own nuclear-powered drone craft -- capable of staying aloft for months at a time. Oh.. what's that? Too dangerous? It would never be allowed?

Once again it's a case of "do as we say, not do as we do".

Come on sheeple -- wake up.

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