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[FYI] The 2004 UK BBA Nominations
[ Auch auf -> http://bigbrotherawards.at/ wurde die 'Heurigen'-Saison eroeffnet,
[ frische Einreichungen werden schon jetzt gerne entgegengenommen.
[ Internationale Terminuebsicht wie ueblich auf -> http://bigbrotherawards.org/
-> http://www.privacyinternational.org/bigbrother/uk2004/
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THE 2004 UK BIG BROTHER AWARDS
28th July, 2004, London
SHORTLISTED NOMINATIONS
Award categories for this year are as they have been in past years: Worst
Public Servant; Most Invasive Company; Most Appalling Project; Most Heinous
Government Organisation and Lifetime Menace (now renamed the "David
Blunkett Lifetime Menace Award").
The following "Dirty Dozen" have been culled from about three hundred
nominees. The number of nominations for David Blunkett, the Home Office and
the proposed National Identity Card far outweighed all other nominees, but
their unpopularity will not be recognised this year because they have
received awards in previous years.
"(Favourite)" indicates candidates that are currently tipped to win, though
the final decision will not be made until mid July.
SHORTLIST
WORST PUBLIC SERVANT
(Favourite) The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Minister of State for Children
Margaret Hodge has received numerous nominations because of her patronage
of the controversial tracking provisions in the Children Bill and for her
determination to develop a wide spectrum of intrusive databases and
information systems. Her success in reaching the shortlist reflects the
judges concern stemming from their decision in 2002 to give the Department
for Education & Skills the "Most Heinous Government Organisation" award for
its invasive activities. See
http://www.privacyinternational.org/bigbrother/uk2002/
Further information:
http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,1074,1079140,00.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/24/nkid24.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/08/24/ixportal.html
Joint nomination. Katherine Courtney, Director, Identity Cards Programme,
Home Office, and Stephen Harrison, Head, Identity Card Policy Unit, Home Office
Ms Courtney and Mr Harrison have the honour of being the first-ever joint
nomination for a UK award. They are the largely invisible figures behind
the National Identity Card scheme and have steered the project since its
inception in 2002. They were, of course, just following orders.
See their evidence to the Home Affairs Committee at:
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmhaff/uc130-i/uc13001.htm
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmhaff/uc130-vii/uc13002.htm
MOST INVASIVE COMPANY
Lloyds TSB
For unnecessary and possibly unlawful threats to freeze the accounts of
customers who fail to attend a branch and produce identity documents. The
procedure has been described by the bank as an "initiative" backed by the
Financial Services Authority.
Background information:
http://money.guardian.co.uk/saving/banks/story/0,12410,1173767,00.html
FollowUS
This is one of a growing number of companies specialising in mobile phone
tracking. The company proclaims that its services can be used to locate
people "for peace of mind, security or fun".
http://www.followus.co.uk/homeusers.html
Further information:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1101683,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-859396,00.html
(Favourite) British Gas
For its unfounded and cowardly claim that the Data Protection Act was the
reason why an elderly couple died after British Gas had disconnected their
gas supply. The hypothermia and absence of any duty of care apparently were
secondary factors.
Further information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3342059.stm
MOST APPALLING PROJECT
Vodafone
For systematic default blocking of all "adult" websites. The measure goes
much further than the BT plan to block access to child pornography, and
involves any site regarded as "adult" in nature.
Further information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3860095.stm
(Favourite) The NHS National Programme for IT
The NHS won a "Most Heinous Government Organisation" award in 2000 because
of its plans to computerise all patient records in a way that is both
insecure and dangerous to patient privacy. Its nomination again this year
reflects the gravity of concerns over these continuing plans.
Further information:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2710-751992,00.html
The Safe Harbor Agreement
http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/ This initiative, drawn up by the EU and
the US, provides a basis for the transmission to the US of personal
information on EU citizens. At best the scheme can be described as
inadequate. At worst it is a means of circumventing European privacy law
and fooling people into a belief that their information is being protected
within the US border.
Background information
http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/ebusiness/story/0,10801,47152,00.html
MOST HEINOUS GOVERNMENT ORGANISATION
The Department for Transport
For its electronic vehicle identification (EVI) programme Known variously
as the "Spy in the Dashboard" and "the Informer" an embedded chip will
automatically report to authorities a wide range of offences including
speeding, road tax evasion and illegal parking.
Further information:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-790512,00.html
(Favourite) The Office of National Statistics.
For its development of the "Citizen Information Project" that will collate
and share unprecedented amounts of data on the entire population.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cip/default.asp
Further information:
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmhaff/uc130-vi/uc13002.htm
LIFETIME MENACE
The Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP.
Charles Clarke was shortlisted in 2000 because of his patronage as Home
Office Minister of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill. Now as
Secretary of State for Education & Skills he has responsibility for the
Children portfolio occupied by Margaret Hodge (see nomination above). His
activities at Cabinet level pose an ongoing threat to privacy.
(Favourite) The US VISIT Programme
Privacy International has taken the unusual step of shortlisting a US
initiative for the UK awards because of the almost total silence in the US
over this programme. US VISIT will fingerprint all visitors to the US from
September of this year. The scheme is offensive and invasive, and has been
undertaken with little or no debate or scrutiny. Nor has the requirement
taken any account of the "special relationship" between the UK and the US.
The UK government has been silent about the programme and has capitulated
every step of the way.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0333.xml
Commenting on the nominations, Simon Davies, Director of Privacy
International, said:
"The nominations reflect a broad and intensified assault on the right to
privacy in the UK. There is a clear hostility within government to privacy
and a general antagonism to it from within business. We have seen few
instances where privacy has been genuinely respected by large organisations."
"The default has clearly shifted from privacy to surveillance. Almost all
large government projects attempt to compromise the right to privacy. The
proclaimed need for protection of children and the fight against terrorism
has often been shamelessly used as the pretext for privacy invasion".
"We are seeing a race to the bottom where government and private sector
alike compete to provide the most intrusive services in the most unstable
environment for privacy."
"It has become clear that the European Commission has adopted a key role in
leading the assault on privacy. The UK government often uses the
Commission's decisions and activities as the justification for privacy
invasion. The need for an EU-wide Big Brother Award is now overwhelming and
we will look to this option in the coming year".
"The Data Protection Act has come under sustained and unjustified attack in
the past year. We have some faith that the New Information Commissioner
will more aggressively promote and defend the law".
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