UK Home Secretary Theresa May defends Investigatory Powers Bill; Privacy advocates, Apple speak out

UK Home Secretary Theresa May continues to stand firm in defending the Investigatory Powers Bill. The proposed legislation aims to enforce strict measures in stopping cyber bullying. According to The Verge, in a letter she submitted to South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge as a response to his question regarding the draft bill, May points out that cyber bullying is a highly "pernicious" issue. She assures everyone there's no need to worry because the bill will not be used solely for spying on UK citizens, but instead to help track down anonymous cyber bullies and trolls who hide under numerous aliases.

If passed, the new legislation requires that all Internet service providers (ISPs) store records of every website every UK citizen visits for a whole year. Records of personal Internet activity will only be limited to basic URLs of websites a person visits, like www.google.com. It doesn't include specific pages and search history. However, the time of visits and the IP addresses of other computers which the individual contacted would also be recorded. The law will also give UK police the authority to access an individual's Internet activity, including browsing data from all mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. This massive level of monitoring has been banned in the US, Canada, and the rest of Europe.

According to the Daily Mail, researchers from Ditch the Label found out that seven out of 10 young Brits have experienced some form of cyber bullying. One out of five have or continue to experience this kind of bullying daily. Cyber bullying has driven some victims to lose their self-esteem and become withdrawn, depressed, and even commit suicide in severe cases. The abuse happens online, mostly in social networks, making it a violation that's complicated to investigate and stop. The proposed legislation aims to be useful in tracking down and putting pressure on cyber bullies. At the same time, the information gathered in the process will be tantamount to a total surveillance of UK citizens.

May presented the bill to the House of Commons back in early November. Critics slam May's defense of the bill as not adequately addressing privacy issues the bill will seriously impinge on if passed. Privacy advocates and tech companies like Apple in particular, are not in favor of the bill and are primarily concerned with its consequences on online privacy. According to The Verge, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke out in a letter he submitted to the Investigatory Powers Bill committee. Cook pointed out that "it would be wrong to weaken security for hundreds of millions of law-abiding customers", making them vulnerable to those who do pose a threat to online security. Instead, he proposes that companies "remain free to implement strong encryption" to protect their valued customers.

The bill committee is currently reviewing all pertinent comments on the proposed legislation. Follow-up findings and responses will be revealed in February 2016.

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investigatory powers bill, UK Home Secretary Theresa May, Theresa May, internet surveillance bill, internet surveillance, Cyber-Bullying, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tim Cook

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