back to article Privacy warriors drag GCHQ into Euro human rights court over blanket spying, hacking

Having failed in its bid to block GCHQ's hacking activities at the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal, advocacy group Privacy International says it will now take its fight with the UK government to the European Court of Human Rights. Joined by five other groups from around the globe, Privacy International says it will be …

  1. DaveB

    Strange

    So is this the same Chaos Computer Club that trashed VMS systems at Padua University and Digital equipment in 1987 before the word hacker was invented.

    1. Rich 11

      Re: Strange

      No, not at all.

      The word hacker is older than that.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Get lost

    Bye bye ECHR .. and we don't care

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Get lost

      Ah yes - let me guess: you think that the court is part of the EU. It's not.

      Glad the leavers have such a deep knowledge of what they voted about.

      1. Suricou Raven

        Re: Get lost

        It's the same court that ruled that prisoners have voting rights. Ten years ago. We've ignored them entirely, even after they reached the same ruling on three more cases. They have no enforcement powers - if the UK governments decides to simply pretend they don't exist, there's nothing stopping them.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Get lost

        "Ah yes - let me guess: you think that the court is part of the EU. It's not."

        Though, we currenlty have a PM who wanted to stay in EU but wanted to withdraw from ECHR

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Get lost

      Theresa May said the UK will still comply with ECHR laws even after Brexit.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRHjflkTRzE

      (31.00 minutes into speech)

      1. Graham Marsden
        Meh

        Re: Get lost

        > Theresa May said the UK will still comply with ECHR laws even after Brexit.

        And we should trust her?

        What she said was "there would be no Parliamentary majority" for leaving the ECHR. The sub-text I hear is "yet..." given that she has made her position very clear.

        My prediction is that, as with things like their creeping privatisation of the NHS and other sell-offs, instead of one big change we'll see a whole load of little amendments being made that, slowly but surely, will strip us of our Rights until we only have the ones that *she* likes left to us.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Get lost

      oh dear, you have soooo misunderstood my comment.

      I voted to REMAIN..The comment was the expected response from our UK Government to ECHR...

  3. cmannett85

    Has no one told them Brexit happened?

    1. Awil Onmearse
      Headmaster

      Brexit?

      Has no-one told you the ECHR isn't the EU?

      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: Brexit?

        "Has no-one told you the ECHR isn't the EU?"

        Lot's of people keep telling them. These repeated comments tell you a lot more about Brexiteers than about either the EU or the ECHR.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Brexit?

          That won't stop the numbskulls from downvoting any post that has the word European either mentioned or implied in it.

          Sad really.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I wish brexiteers would confine their malcontent to harmless outlets, such as rioting, and looting pound land.

      Did you know that leaving the EU also doesn't get us out of the Eurovision song contest, but it will mean the remaining EU members will give us nil points.

      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        "Did you know that leaving the EU also doesn't get us out of the Eurovision song contest,"

        Bad news.

        "but it will mean the remaining EU members will give us nil points."

        Meh.

      2. SundogUK Silver badge

        "Did you know that leaving the EU also doesn't get us out of the Eurovision song contest, but it will mean the remaining EU members will give us nil points."

        Who fucking cares?

    3. Woodnag

      Brexit actually hasn't happened

      The referendum happened. But the invocation of Art.50 to start the Brexit clock ticking is similar to non-free Windows 10 upgrades: it's talked about for the future, but will never quite happen.

      1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

        Re: Brexit actually hasn't happened

        Well, there's your exit strategy.

    4. Stoneshop
      FAIL

      No-one has told them, indeed

      Firstly, because it's not relevant to the ECHR for reasons already mentioned, and secondly, because Brexit hasn't happened yet. What has happened is a referendum, the outcome of which is such that the UK government is advised to start proceedings to leave the EU. And that too hasn't happened yet.

      On top of that the actual Brexit will be up to two years after the start of the talks.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why single out the UK government? Did they think it would be an easy target?

    Why not try the same thing against the US government or are they afraid they would be 'dealt with'?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The Americans are about to implode anyway. Look at their choices for president.

      1. Woodnag

        Not quite true

        There are more than two names on the ballot.

        1. a_yank_lurker

          Re: Not quite true

          Unfortunately, the second tier candidates have about as much chance as a "snowball in Hell". The next disgrace will either be a felon or an ignorant blowhard, so the idea of an implosion is not to far fetched.

          1. AdamG57

            Re: Not quite true

            Well, I won't be voting for the blowhard. But you should be aware that describing someone as a felon who has not been convicted is libel... You may be safe as long as you leave it unclear which person you are naming as a felon - although the blowhard is far more likely to sue anyway.

            I'm not going to bother arguing about presumption of innocence, evidence beyond reasonable doubt, or the strong likelihood that neither you or I has any real information about the 'crimes' which may be involved, as I too frequently would like to see politicians sent to jail - it doesn't happen often enough. I do think anyone supporting the blowhard is going to find themselves even further betrayed when the fantasies being peddled remain just that win or lose. Mind you, the other one will probably disappoint to some degree. Politics will disappoint, but let's try to avoid disasters like Herbert Hoover (a great man until elected), Nixon (from even before first elected to any office), and George W Bush (who was once a decent mascot/ cheerleader, and remains a poor painter).

            1. a_yank_lurker

              Re: Not quite true

              Given the US law says you are responsible for keeping all secret information secure or face felony charges then we have an unindicted felon. This point is drilled into you if ever can smell secret information.

              1. james 68

                Re: Not quite true

                Unindicted, sure.

                Felon, not so much. To be a felon the person must first be charged with a felony crime, it may have escaped your notice but this has not occurred making that claim libellous.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          There are more than two names on the ballot.

          I included the likelihood of them electing Cthulhu. It's still mass devastation.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: There are more than two names on the ballot.

            HEY! I voted for Cthulhu! Not only does He amount to the lesser of the Evils on the ballots but He's got a cuddly plushie from ThinkGeek.com I can pray to every night when I go to bed!

            All Hail Cthulhu! He's my main squeaze!

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: There are more than two names on the ballot.

              Please don't suggest that plushies make presidential candidates more electable. I don't want to see that.

        3. NotBob

          Re: Not quite true

          There may be more than two names on the ballot, but which and how many will depend on where you are voting...

          My state usually has three listed, anyone else is a write in and won't be getting votes here

    2. a_yank_lurker

      @Ivan 4 - The ferals are not bound by the ECHR rulings so it is pointless to even try. Not that the feral TLAs will pay much attention to the Nine Seniles anyway.

    3. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      "Why single out the UK government? Did they think it would be an easy target?

      Why not try the same thing against the US government"

      Because it's UK legislation that's being challenged.

      Because the UK is a signatory of the ECHR where C = Convention.

      Because the UK is subject to the jurisdiction of the ECHR where C = Court.

      Because none of the above apply to the US.

      Is it really so difficult to understand?

      1. Rich 11

        Is it really so difficult to understand?

        Yes. Yes, it really is, for people with a limited interest in the world. For people who have been told that they've had enough of experts, which they know is true because their gut feeling is always better.

        I wish it were otherwise. I could try to explain why, but anything I might say would sooner or later be attacked as 'elitist' or 'you ivory-tower intellectual'. It's just not worth the effort any more.

        The claim that there are simple absolute answers to complex problems will always attract more support than any recognition of reality and its inherent uncertainty. Fuck it. Burn, you stupid twunts. Just burn.

        1. Mark 85

          @Rich 11 -- Simple Absolute Answers

          Your last paragraph sums politics (and currently the US Presidental race) succinctly. I'm not sure that politicos even realize that they fall prey to this with pondering legislation. Answers.. easy, simple, fast. No thinking required but someone will be blamed for being evil.

          1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

            Re: @Rich 11 -- Simple Absolute Answers

            "Your last paragraph sums politics... succinctly."

            It sums up almost everyone in any managerial or administrative position, political or otherwise.

        2. Aitor 1

          Nice people.

          These nice people are the ones that vote for Brexit, and most of them are the ones who will suffer more.

          I can't feel bad for them.

        3. SundogUK Silver badge

          Sometimes there are simple answers and the complications seen are simply a way of avoiding the unpleasant truth.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If GCHQ are relying on blanket spying then can we expect an imminent law banning use of duvets to hide from them?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ECHR and GCHQ and Theresa May

    Not for the first time.....and probably not for the last time either.....but here I go again:

    1. Theresa May and her ilk are determined to build another STASI....if privacy is not dead yet, it soon will be. The tool for this invasion of basic human rights is GCHQ

    2. Recall that Theresa May opined recently that the UK should opt out of the ECHR

    .....now, I wonder if egregious violations of the ECHR rules might not be going on RIGHT NOW. I wonder if Theresa May's desire to be rid of the ECHR was not precisely because she and her (so called) civil servants were afraid of the type of law suit described in this article.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: ECHR and GCHQ and Theresa May

      It really is quite strange how we used to ridicule the GDR for their massive state surveillance, yet somehow its fine if we do exactly the same thing but use machines instead of agents to do the collection.

      People claim that it's less likely to be subjected to human error or seeing things that aren't there, but that sounds like bollocks; if anything that's passed further up the chain. Poor inferences will affect a much larger data set with modern data processing.

  7. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Big Brother

    CCC

    Cough* Karl Koch *cough.

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