Civil rights and security issues are major concerns thanks to the perceived increase in terrorist activities. Recent changes in the law have given the authorities extra powers but have also taken away certain civil and human rights from the public.
11 September 2001
Most of the governments around the world have increased their security measure since the 9/11 atrocities, and rightly so. But many people think that these security measures will do nothing to stop further terrorist activities if they were to happen again on this scale. Instead, the increased security measures have been perceived by many as a step back when it comes curtailing the human and civil rights of citizens.
The Land of the Free
Since 9/11, security measures in America have taken, what some might call, a drastic turn for the worst. The authorities in America now have the right to arrest, torture and hold suspected “enemies of America” indefinitely in prison camps. The authorities can also deny these alleged enemies any rights or guarantees of protection contained in the Bill of Rights. Arrest and incarceration without trial can apply to anyone who disagrees with the American government and this is a breach of the right to freedom of speech.
Terrorism and the UK
Previously, the authorities in the UK could hold terrorist suspects without charge for 28 days. Some senior police authorities have stated that they would like an indefinite incarceration period. There were calls by the government and the police to increase this limit to 90 days. Members of Parliament rejected the 90 day increase a number of times and in 2005 it was then Prime Minister Tony Blair's first defeat in the House of Commons.
Stop and Search
When the Terrorism Act 2000 was passed it gave the police extra powers when it came to the stop and search process. Under section 44 the police can stop and search anyone without the need for reasonable suspicion if they are within a designated area. At the moment the whole of greater London has been designated as a section 44 stop and search area. Since the introduction of section 44 in London there has been a 37% increase in the number of stop and search procedures.
The Right to Privacy
The UK government has plans for a database that will hold records of every telephone call, email and text made in Britain. These records will be held on a government database and can be accessed by authorities such as the police. The Communications Data Bill was proposed but never became law in its original form. There has been major opposition to this new database with many comparisons to George Orwell’s 1984 novel. There have also been protests regarding the infringements of civil and human rights of British citizens if this database is implemented.
National Identity Cards
The new British Identity cards have also been the cause of some controversy. The ID card scheme was scrapped in 2010 by the Coalition government. Biometric data will include fingerprints and this information will be held on a national identity register. These identity cards have already been rolled out to foreign nationals living in the UK. In its first ten years this identity card scheme will cost £4.7 billion, although this figure does not include the cost of implementing equipment to scan the cards.
Surveillance Society
Britain has become a surveillance society and at the moment there are 4.2 million CCTV cameras in the UK. This works out at one camera for every 14 people in Britain. Statistics show that every person in Britain can be caught up 300 times per day on a CCTV camera. A recent report by the human right’s organisation Privacy International states that the UK has the worst record of any western democracy of protecting the privacy of individuals.
Many people will argue the case that if a citizen has nothing to hide there should not be a problem with any government security measures. However, the implementation of these measures can be seen as increased governmental control over the public. These security measures do infringe on civil and human rights, and in many cases the government has given the public no choice in the matter. There is no doubt that security had to be substantially increased to reflect the increased threat of terrorism, but at what cost to human and civil rights?
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