Dear Simon,
Today, the government laid out its plan for massive new powers to invade our privacy online. [1] It’s bad. Information about who we’ve emailed, websites we’ve visited and much more will be routinely available to the government.
People power can stop this invasion of our privacy. Over 150,000 of us have already signed the petition. And today’s papers mention the size of our petition as evidence that the government may struggle to get its plans through. [2]
We’re going to need huge numbers of people if we’re going to work together to defeat these Big Brother plans. Every single extra name on the petition will help. Can you ask your friends and family to take 30 seconds to sign it?
You can forward this email and ask them to sign the petition here:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/privacy-petition
The government’s plan would mean phone and internet companies would have to keep details of your use of email, websites you’ve visited, phone calls you’ve made over the internet and how you’ve used Facebook and Twitter – for a whole year. [3]
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, today claimed that the plans would only affect terrorists and paedophiles – and called people who value their privacy from government “conspiracy theorists”. [4] But that’s simply not true – the plans would allow the government to spy on every one of us. [5]
Let’s show Theresa May that there are huge numbers of people in this country who value their freedom and privacy as private citizens – and that doesn’t make us “conspiracy theorists”. Can you help grow the campaign by asking more people to sign the petition?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/privacy-petition
You can also share the petition on Facebook with one click:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/privacy-petition-facebook
Or on Twitter:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/privacy-petition-twitter
Thanks for being involved,
Marie, David, Belinda, Becky, Hannah, James and the 38 Degrees
PS: Thanks to pressure from 38 Degrees members, the government has made one tiny concession – local councils won’t get new snooping powers. But the real, everyday invasion of our privacy will come from the government itself. Please forward this email and ask as many people as you can to add their names to the petition: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/privacy-petition
NOTES
[1] Draft Communications Data Bill http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm83/8359/8359.pdf
BBC: May setting out plans to monitor internet use in the UK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18434112
[2] Guardian: Online privacy: Home Office to write blank cheque for ‘snoopers’ charter; http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/13/online-privacy-legislation-internet-phone-data
[3] BBC: How will the proposed surveillance laws work? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18434232
[4] The Sun: May blast for critics of email tracking http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4371932/May-blast-for-critics-of-email-tracking.html
[5] BBC: How will the proposed surveillance laws work? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18434232
Simon Hamer 