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[FYI] The 2004 UK BBA Nominations



[ Auch auf -> http://bigbrotherawards.at/ wurde die 'Heurigen'-Saison eroeffnet,
[ frische Einreichungen werden schon jetzt gerne entgegengenommen.

[ Internationale Terminuebsicht wie ueblich auf -> http://bigbrotherawards.org/

-> http://www.privacyinternational.org/bigbrother/uk2004/

--- snip ---

THE 2004 UK BIG BROTHER AWARDS

28th July, 2004, London

SHORTLISTED NOMINATIONS

Award categories for this year are as they have been in past years: Worst 
Public Servant; Most Invasive Company; Most Appalling Project; Most Heinous 
Government Organisation and Lifetime Menace (now renamed the "David 
Blunkett Lifetime Menace Award").

The following "Dirty Dozen" have been culled from about three hundred 
nominees. The number of nominations for David Blunkett, the Home Office and 
the proposed National Identity Card far outweighed all other nominees, but 
their unpopularity will not be recognised this year because they have 
received awards in previous years.

"(Favourite)" indicates candidates that are currently tipped to win, though 
the final decision will not be made until mid July.


SHORTLIST

WORST PUBLIC SERVANT

(Favourite) The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Minister of State for Children

Margaret Hodge has received numerous nominations because of her patronage 
of the controversial tracking provisions in the Children Bill and for her 
determination to develop a wide spectrum of intrusive databases and 
information systems. Her success in reaching the shortlist reflects the 
judges concern stemming from their decision in 2002 to give the Department 
for Education & Skills the "Most Heinous Government Organisation" award for 
its invasive activities. See 
http://www.privacyinternational.org/bigbrother/uk2002/

Further information:
http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,1074,1079140,00.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/24/nkid24.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/08/24/ixportal.html
 

Joint nomination. Katherine Courtney, Director, Identity Cards Programme, 
Home Office, and Stephen Harrison, Head, Identity Card Policy Unit, Home Office

Ms Courtney and Mr Harrison have the honour of being the first-ever joint 
nomination for a UK award. They are the largely invisible figures behind 
the National Identity Card scheme and have steered the project since its 
inception in 2002. They were, of course, just following orders.

See their evidence to the Home Affairs Committee at:

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmhaff/uc130-i/uc13001.htm
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmhaff/uc130-vii/uc13002.htm


MOST INVASIVE COMPANY

Lloyds TSB

For unnecessary and possibly unlawful threats to freeze the accounts of 
customers who fail to attend a branch and produce identity documents. The 
procedure has been described by the bank as an "initiative" backed by the 
Financial Services Authority.

Background information:
http://money.guardian.co.uk/saving/banks/story/0,12410,1173767,00.html

FollowUS

This is one of a growing number of companies specialising in mobile phone 
tracking. The company proclaims that its services can be used to locate 
people "for peace of mind, security or fun". 
http://www.followus.co.uk/homeusers.html

Further information:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1101683,00.html

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-859396,00.html

(Favourite) British Gas

For its unfounded and cowardly claim that the Data Protection Act was the 
reason why an elderly couple died after British Gas had disconnected their 
gas supply. The hypothermia and absence of any duty of care apparently were 
secondary factors.

Further information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3342059.stm


MOST APPALLING PROJECT

Vodafone

For systematic default blocking of all "adult" websites. The measure goes 
much further than the BT plan to block access to child pornography, and 
involves any site regarded as "adult" in nature.

Further information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3860095.stm


(Favourite) The NHS National Programme for IT

The NHS won a "Most Heinous Government Organisation" award in 2000 because 
of its plans to computerise all patient records in a way that is both 
insecure and dangerous to patient privacy. Its nomination again this year 
reflects the gravity of concerns over these continuing plans.

Further information:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2710-751992,00.html

The Safe Harbor Agreement

http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/ This initiative, drawn up by the EU and 
the US, provides a basis for the transmission to the US of personal 
information on EU citizens. At best the scheme can be described as 
inadequate. At worst it is a means of circumventing European privacy law 
and fooling people into a belief that their information is being protected 
within the US border.

Background information
http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/ebusiness/story/0,10801,47152,00.html


MOST HEINOUS GOVERNMENT ORGANISATION

The Department for Transport

For its electronic vehicle identification (EVI) programme Known variously 
as the "Spy in the Dashboard" and "the Informer" an embedded chip will 
automatically report to authorities a wide range of offences including 
speeding, road tax evasion and illegal parking.

Further information:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-790512,00.html

(Favourite) The Office of National Statistics.

For its development of the "Citizen Information Project" that will collate 
and share unprecedented amounts of data on the entire population. 
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cip/default.asp

Further information:

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmhaff/uc130-vi/uc13002.htm

LIFETIME MENACE

The Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP.

Charles Clarke was shortlisted in 2000 because of his patronage as Home 
Office Minister of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill. Now as 
Secretary of State for Education & Skills he has responsibility for the 
Children portfolio occupied by Margaret Hodge (see nomination above). His 
activities at Cabinet level pose an ongoing threat to privacy.

(Favourite) The US VISIT Programme

Privacy International has taken the unusual step of shortlisting a US 
initiative for the UK awards because of the almost total silence in the US 
over this programme. US VISIT will fingerprint all visitors to the US from 
September of this year. The scheme is offensive and invasive, and has been 
undertaken with little or no debate or scrutiny. Nor has the requirement 
taken any account of the "special relationship" between the UK and the US. 
The UK government has been silent about the programme and has capitulated 
every step of the way.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0333.xml

Commenting on the nominations, Simon Davies, Director of Privacy 
International, said:

"The nominations reflect a broad and intensified assault on the right to 
privacy in the UK. There is a clear hostility within government to privacy 
and a general antagonism to it from within business. We have seen few 
instances where privacy has been genuinely respected by large organisations."

"The default has clearly shifted from privacy to surveillance. Almost all 
large government projects attempt to compromise the right to privacy. The 
proclaimed need for protection of children and the fight against terrorism 
has often been shamelessly used as the pretext for privacy invasion".

"We are seeing a race to the bottom where government and private sector 
alike compete to provide the most intrusive services in the most unstable 
environment for privacy."

"It has become clear that the European Commission has adopted a key role in 
leading the assault on privacy. The UK government often uses the 
Commission's decisions and activities as the justification for privacy 
invasion. The need for an EU-wide Big Brother Award is now overwhelming and 
we will look to this option in the coming year".

"The Data Protection Act has come under sustained and unjustified attack in 
the past year. We have some faith that the New Information Commissioner 
will more aggressively promote and defend the law".

--- snap --- 


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