A previously controversial pill designed to help people quit smoking has been accused of raising the risk of heart problems in its users. Varenicline, which is supplied under the brand name of Champix, has been linked to depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts on numerous occasions but is still sold today. It is used by around 140,000 people in Britain and accounted for one million prescriptions in 2010. A study by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland utilised 14 studies into the drug, containing over 8,000 smokers. 52 of 4,908 using Champix suffered cardiac problems, compared to 27... Continue reading

Until yesterday, the News of the World phone-hacking fiasco had failed to truly enter the national consciousness. The majority of print media in Britain were keen to avoid reporting on it, and most of the ‘victims’ were celebrities whose regular publicity-seeking appearances in newspapers and magazines can sometimes be seen as a rejection of their own privacy rights . The revelation that the mobile phone of the kidnapped teenager Milly Dowler could have been hacked has changed the situation dramatically. What is alleged to have happened goes beyond the basic issues of privacy. By deleting messages from her mobile, those... Continue reading

Microsoft has revealed that EU users of its upcoming cloud services may have their personal information intercepted by US law enforcers. Because of the USA Patriot Act, law enforcement authorities in the US have the right to access the personal data which is held by US-based companies. In a statement, Microsoft explained: “In a limited number of circumstances, Microsoft may need to disclose data without your prior consent, including as needed to satisfy legal requirements, or to protect the rights or property of Microsoft or others (including the enforcement of agreements or policies governing the use of the service).” Cloud... Continue reading

Please note these are articles and opinions we found interesting, however they do not necessarily represent the views of Big Brother Watch Councillors told to register as data controllers Spam down as scammers move elsewhere RIPA: 2010 annual report of the Interception of Communications Commissioner Ronald Reagan Honoured With London Statue Happy Birthday America! Sure it's hilarious but you can't blame repetitious Ed Continue reading

In a sensible attempt to reduce the bureaucracy which makes school trips difficult to organise, the Government is attempting to simplify the guidelines, however teaching unions have criticised the move. The Department for Education is publishing new guidance for school staff, reducing the length of the guidelines from a staggering 150 pages to a more manageable 8. Over recent years the guidelines have expanded again and again due to bureaucracy and a fear of civil litigation. Schools are loath to organise trips due to the complex nature of the paperwork involved and the risk of being sued if an accident... Continue reading

Please note these are articles and opinions we found interesting, however they do not necessarily represent the views of Big Brother Watch Background checking in the palm of the hand Google faces 'wire tapping' case over Street View Facebook crashes advertising industry party Government refuses to keep DNA of innocent people Does Johann Hari actually meet his interviewees? Phishers switch focus to targeted attacks, warns Cisco Continue reading

After the recent loss of a laptop from the NHA North Central London Trust containing around 8.3 million patient records, the Information Commissioner Christopher Graham has finally moved to denounce the endemic data loss problems common in the National Health Service. There have been numerous examples of data loss in recent months, leading to five more health organisations agreeing to undertakings to improve security. Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said: “The health service holds some of the most sensitive personal information of any sector in the UK. Millions of records are constantly being accessed and we appreciate that there will be... Continue reading

Under the previous government, legislation designed to combat terrorism and serious crime was utilised by local councils to spy on residents for trivial matters such as school catchment areas and putting rubbish bins out too early. In their coalition agreement, the two parties in power promised to roll back the unnecessary, intrusive use of these powers, but unfortunately the reality has been very different. Last year, public bodies made 552,550 requests under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to request access to confidential communications data. This is a 5% increase from 2009 and a massive 10% increase from the... Continue reading

As if the recommendations from the BMA weren’t enough, a councillor in Stony Stratford with delusions of grandeur has proposed a bylaw to ban smoking in any public place in the Milton Keynes Borough. Councillor Pail Bartlett will attempt to get the plan approved by the town council, leading to on-the-spot fines for anyone found to be smoking in the town. Mr. Bartlett said: “Stony Stratford is a historic town which is blighted by cigarette butts. The plan that I am trying to put forward is for smoking to be banned in public in the High Street, surrounding streets, and... Continue reading

The British Medical Association has called for even more draconian measures to restrict the freedoms of the general populace. At their annual conference, the union suggested a wide range of additional ways to stop people from living their lives how they wish to. Firstly, they recommended the previously floated idea of a ban on smoking in cars. The justification for this is a piece of dubious research claiming toxicity from smoking in cars is 27 times higher than it is in a home. Research on smoking from self interested groups such as ASH has often been disingenuous, however it is... Continue reading

Please note these are articles and opinions we found interesting, however they do not necessarily represent the views of Big Brother Watch Clarification on the Police National Database Groupon India publishes 300,000 user passwords ‘Peeping Tom’ spared jail for making DVD of women on toilet Rethink call on CCTV rules shake-up Council rakes in £20k from parking camera CCTV rumours quashed Continue reading

Back in May this year, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) decided to allow UK websites an additional year to comply with the European Union’s cookie directive. Out of all 27 member states, only Estonia and Denmark have fully implemented the ruling. After the additional year is over, there is the threat of a fine up to £500,000 from the ICO. Interestingly enough, in an effort to get the ball rolling, the ICO decided to follow the ruling immediately. The following message appears when you first visit the website: “The ICO would like to use cookies to store information on your... Continue reading

Please note these are articles and opinions we found interesting, however they do not necessarily represent the views of Big Brother Watch Is this the end of anonymity? Advertisers 'track almost 100 per cent' of web users Home Office will not back down on DNA database Freedoms Bill: Gov may U-turn on personal data and DNA retention Accused autistic hacker Ryan Cleary freed on bail Continue reading

Big Brother Watch has previously brought up the topic of insurance companies selling on referral data to no-win no-fee claim firms, which has now received widespread attention after being picked up by the media following an interview on the Today programme by Jack Straw. I personally received a text message a few weeks ago inviting me to claim “up to £3,450” after my “recent accident”. This was news to me, considering I hadn’t been in an accident and my car was parked on the driveway undamaged. The logic of referring the contact details of people who have been in a... Continue reading

Chris Pounder has written an article debunking the claims of the Labour Party that the DNA profiles of innocent people who have never been convicted of an offence should be held indefinitely. Alan Johnson, then Home Secretary, used case studies as examples for why this retention was necessary, however in all three the retention of DNA would not have helped or harmed the investigations. There is a real risk that after similar U-turns on NHS reform and prison sentencing, the Government may backtrack on the very important step of deleting the DNA profiles of these people, in an effort to... Continue reading

In a victory for transparency local authorities in Britain will be forced to reveal figures about speed cameras in their areas. The figures will show how many fines each camera has given out along with the total amount of revenue accumulated from fines. By July 20th, they must release information on the number of accidents and casualties at camera sites, both before and after the installation of CCTV. There are over 6,000 speed cameras in Britain, raising a staggering £100,000,000 per year in fines. It is hoped the release of this information will put pressure on local authorities to dismantle... Continue reading

Please note these are articles and opinions we found interesting, however they do not necessarily represent the views of Big Brother Watch A sinister cyber-surveillance scheme exposed Frank Manning: Should Ed Miliband be using the terminally ill and victims of serious crimes to score political points at PMQs? Don't let society scapegoat smokers Accused SOCA attacker reportedly 'keen' to help cops Travelodge admits hack NATO site hacked Continue reading

It has long been the contention of Big Brother Watch that CCTV cameras do not reduce crime, and many believe their use in monitoring vehicle-based crimes serves only to raise finances for local councils. Recently revealed evidence from Westminster is yet more proof of these ideas. A CCTV camera in the Westminster area of London actually increased its monthly revenue this year from January until May. Despite the camera on Harrow Road raising around £20.000, the number of parking fines issued went up from 60 to 98. The entire justification for CCTV monitoring of parking violations is to reduce infractions,... Continue reading

The sage of the school playground, Welsh Assembly Member Joyce Watson, has decided the process of getting lunch at schools in Wales is far too simple and it therefore requires fingerprint technology in every school canteen around the country. Her justification stems from the potential for embarrassment for children from poorer backgrounds in Welsh schools. Supposedly some children from families with financial difficulties had previously felt stigmatised as their peers knew they were receiving free meals due to a ticketing system. Her solution to this problem simply beggars belief. Ms Watson has suggested installing a fingerprinting system at every school... Continue reading

Please note these are articles and opinions we found interesting, however they do not necessarily represent the views of Big Brother Watch Ed Miliband and David Cameron clash over DNA legislation UK banks unaffected by European data breach crackdown Police database to tackle intelligence failings US plan to hold EU passenger data for 15 yrs 'unlawful' Commissioner orders disclosure of names of public sector workers earning over £150,000 Alleged LulzSec hacker still inside MP calls for limited in-car smoking ban LulzSec disavows alleged Census hack Continue reading

Has UK gov lost the census to Lulzsec? Euro commissioner tells Facebook it has nowhere to hide Elite UK police agency website downed by Lulzsec Cookie dough – a half-baked recipe for better data protection? EU Commission data protection is coming to the UK Continue reading

After a hacking group claimed earlier today that they have stolen the date from the 2011 Census, a 19-year-old believed to be a member of the group has been arrested in Essex. He has been named as Ryan Clearly and is currently in custody on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act and Fraud Act offences. The group, known as LulzSec, have claimed responsibility for a wide range of recent attacks including Sony, the NHS, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the CIA all in the last two months. The following statement appeared on the internet this morning from the group: "Greetings... Continue reading

Please note these are articles and opinions we found interesting, however they do not necessarily represent the views of Big Brother Watch How to keep your privacy online New DNA profiling technology could tell police who suspects are in under an hour Banks told to improve data protection measures Got a website? Pay attention, Cookie Law will come Surveillant Society NHS laptop loss could put millions of records at risk Continue reading

Google caused a furore yesterday when they inserted a new type of advertisement in Gmail. In an effort to promote its Voice and Video Chat service, and to mark Father’s Day, the company placed a reminder into people’s Google Chat box, saying “Call Dad”. Many people who lacked a relationship with their father, either due to them passing away or being abusive during childhood, flocked to forums on the internet to complain that it was offensive. Although it is possible to turn off this feature, it is automatically enabled so those without fathers would not have known to turn it... Continue reading

A report by the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee has called for businesses in the E.U. to make it more straightforward for customers to access and delete any data stored about them. The report, released on Wednesday by chairman Juan Fernando López Aguilar, suggested that companies should consider the appointment of specific data protection officers to facilitate this. It also recommended that children who use social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter must be protected by EU data privacy rules The report received almost complete approval from the Committee, with 49 MEPs voting in favour and only one voting... Continue reading