91-yr old model citizen wants secret surveillance data on him deleted

[Deleted]

Source: http://arstechnica.co.uk/tech-policy...-surveillance/

Classed as a "domestic extremist," the RAF veteran is suing UK police at the ECHR.

A 91-year-old civil liberties campaigner, John Catt, is taking his fight to have police surveillance records of his peaceful participation in protests deleted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Catt is classified by UK police as a "domestic extremist," even though he has no criminal record. His name was added to a secret national database run by the UK's National Public Order Intelligence Unit. It contains details of his attendance at over 80 lawful demonstrations with his daughter, including their appearance and slogans on their T-shirts.

The police seem to have been especially troubled by Catt's habit of sketching at the demonstrations [ed. the horror!!!]. As The Guardian reported in 2010

The police placed a marker against the registration number of Catt's car on the database, which triggered an alert each time it passed under an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera. The Catts were also tracked by police officers for days on end, and their movements and meetings recorded in detail.

Catt has been fighting to have the records destroyed for the last six years. In 2013, three senior judges ruled that the records should be deleted. The police appealed, and in 2015 the UK's supreme court agreed that the police had lawfully kept a record of Catt's activities, and therefore did not need to remove them.

Explaining his latest legal move, Catt told The Guardian: "Denied justice in Britain, I am now taking my fight to Europe in the hope that if successful, the case will set a benchmark in regulating what information the state is legally entitled to collect and retain about lawful protesters, and where unlawfully retained, it should be destroyed."

In a piece written for The Guardian in 2012, Catt said that he had been protesting for 70 years. He even protested when he was in the RAF during World War II, which saw him confined to barracks twice as punishment. He wrote: "I would like to see the reversal of the erosion of civil liberties in this country, where the police state is assuming the role of perpetual inquisition; it destroys faith and trust between the individual and the state."

In a separate legal action, six members of the National Union of Journalists are also challenging the practice of keeping files on innocent members of the public. Both John Catt and the six journalists are being represented by Shamik Dutta, from Bhatt Murphy solicitors.

Dutta told Ars in an e-mail:

The Supreme Court has agreed with Mr Catt that there has been an interference with his rights under Article 8 [of the European Convention on Human Rights]. The key legal issues will therefore be whether the interference with Mr Catt’s right to respect for his private life—and the operation of the database as a whole—is justified as both 'in accordance with the law' and 'necessary in a democratic society' pursuant to Article 8(2) [of the European Convention on Human Rights].

If Catt wins his case at the ECHR, it could have major implications. Dutta told Ars: "The judgment could set limits—all over Europe—on what information states can retain about citizens’ lawful activities."

[ItachiZaku]

No, this surveillance is warranted.

[urasim]

Wait, what? Is he complaining about being surveilled in public?

This could destroy the way we track terrorists, if he actually wins the case.

[Jotaux]

Obviously he is up to something nefarious.

[Revi]

You shouldn't be treated as a criminal for protesting. If that's all he has done, I hope he wins.

[Arlon]

Wait, what? Is he complaining about being surveilled in public?

This could destroy the way we track terrorists, if he actually wins the case.

How about not letting them into the country in the first place?

Holy shit at the amount of resources wasted on a 91 year old. But yeah, governments in general are skittish on anything going against their current policies.

[Kalis]

The database is intended to help the police with known troublemakers at protest events, as he does not fit into that category the police should delete his records.

Presumably the police regard him as someone who associates with known troublemakers, so the records on him would be more to help them track the whereabouts of those far left extremists.

[Lord Berserker]

He's a known trouble maker, on a list of known troublemakers.

Cry a river, the socialist rat is there for a reason.

[Deleted]

well hes 91 why would he care hes prolly gonna be dead within the next 10 years

[Easo]

Reason why he is being spied on? Totally retarded and baseless.
But if this passes, much more realistic threats may slip through.

[Jonnusthegreat]

You shouldn't be treated as a criminal for protesting. If that's all he has done, I hope he wins.

He hasn't been treated as a criminal. Nothing has been done to limit his freedom.

This isn't spying. It's just very good record keeping. He is upset that the government is actually really good at keeping records. What an embarrassment this man is.

[Easo]

He hasn't been treated as a criminal. Nothing has been done to limit his freedom.

This isn't spying. It's just very good record keeping. He is upset that the government is actually really good at keeping records. What an embarrassment this man is.

There are so many other protesters. Goverment is pretty much wasting resources on this guy.

[Jonnusthegreat]

There are so many other protesters. Goverment is pretty much wasting resources on this guy.

Oh I totally agree that it's a waste, but his freedoms and personal privacy are simply not being violated.

[Gwiez]

Sounds a lot like the Stasi.

[Deleted]

seems like the police are wasting their time on this guy, but id rather not have the case succeed and set a precedent which could hinder serious threats they are tracking

[Destump]

This isn't spying. It's just very good record keeping. He is upset that the government is actually really good at keeping records. What an embarrassment this man is.

lol, even the damn slogans on his t-shirt were recorded. this was spying. You are a sheep, you should be ashamed of yourself.

[Jonnusthegreat]

lol, even the damn slogans on his t-shirt were recorded. this was spying. You are a sheep, you should be ashamed of yourself.

If he was in public, it's not spying. Anything you do on public grounds is subject to whoever owns those grounds.

[urasim]

If he was in public, it's not spying. Anything you do on public grounds is subject to whoever owns those grounds.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/spying

Nothing to do with private or public.

[Jonnusthegreat]

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/spying

Nothing to do with private or public.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/surveillance

Oh look, I can do it too.

[Deleted]

if u dnt wanna be monitored dnt go outside, dnt use social media, dnt use search engines, and just hand out your personal info to people who need it like your utilitys and bank, thats what i do and i have lots of privacy addons for firefox and i dnt use social media or search engines