UK House of Commons, Home Affairs Committee, A Surveillance Society? Fifth Report of Session 200708 Volume I Report, together with formal minutes Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 20 May 2008.
House of Commons Home Affairs Committee – A Surveillance Society? Fifth Report of Session 200708, Volume II, Oral and written evidence, Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 20 May 2008.
“We call on the Government to give proper consideration to the risks associated with excessive surveillance. Loss of privacy through excessive surveillance erodes trust between the individual and the Government and can change the nature of the relationship between citizen and state. The decision to use surveillance should always involve a publicly-documented process of weighing up the benefits against the risks, including security breaches and the consequences of unnecessary intrusion into individuals private lives. Our Report sets out a series of ground rules for Government and its agencies to build and preserve trust. Unless trust in the Governments intentions in relation to data collection, retention and sharing is carefully preserved, there is a danger that our society could become a surveillance society. The potential for surveillance of citizens in public spaces and private communications has increased dramatically over the last decade, making it possible for what the Information Commissioner calls the electronic footprint we leave in our daily lives to be built up into a detailed picture of our activities. This has prompted growing concern about a wide range of issues relating to the collection and retention of information about individuals.”
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