Information Commissioner warns on surveillance society

Information Commissioner warns that we are sleepwalking into a surveillance society

The UK’s privacy watchdog has called for action on deciding an acceptable level of data that can be collected and stored about individuals, as he warned that the UK has become a ‘surveillance society’.

At a privacy event in London Information Commissioner Richard Thomas launched A Surveillance Society, a report into the level of surveillance now and predictions for 2016.

The report highlighted various activities, mostly supported by technologies such as biometrics and databases that could intrude into individual privacy. These included workplace monitoring of email and internet use, and the systematic tracking of travel.

“Two years ago I warned that we were in danger of sleepwalking into a surveillance society. Today I fear that we are in fact waking up to a surveillance society,” said Thomas. “As evermore information is collected, shared and used, it intrudes into our private space… I am keen to start a debate about where the lines should be drawn.”