Data theft: the next batch

The Cabinet Office (Cummins) wants every UK citizen to have a smart card in order to access Government online services. And I am guessing he has friends in IT who can help him with this, friends in the private sector , with whom the data will be shared.

As Usual, I am guessing such contracts will be issued without going to tender, without scrutiny, without oversight, and the way the data will be used by the 3rd party will not be revealed, but failure to agree to let the 3rd party use the data means you won’t be able to access benefits, HMRC, and so on.

Data will track us, by the Government like this, and my phone companies, social media companies and by ISPs.

And as we have seen with Facebook and Trump, the website will help compliant politicians, and block ads for those who want to impose rules and/or scrutiny.

We have a choice whether or not to use Facebook, or other sites, but for me, it’s the only way to stay in thouch with schoolfriends, former RAF colleagues, and those I have worked with in the survey and wind industries over the last 14 years. I don’t see ads pushing fake news much, its because I defriend those contacts that do, and mute some groups whose politics I might not agree with. But I still use it, and my data is sold to advertisers, so I am the product.

I am not sure what is worse, the Government having our data or a corporation, both raises fundamental issues about privacy, issues which leaving the EU and so GDPR rules no longer applies, thus being the first of our rights to vanish, though we haven’t really noticed that.

Yesterday, Johnson said in a speech that a deal with the EU was increasingly unlikely. This is because the UK wants benefits of being a member state without the responsibility of paying for it, and failing to realise that in order to get something you want, you have to give something the other side wants in return. Submitting a list of demands whilst rejecting a similar list from the other side is not a negotiation. Neither is failing to publish plans for UK State Support of businesses. This is a key part of the Level Playing Field (LPF) requirements that the UK has already agreed to and ratified, but wants to pull out of.

Johnson also said “huge numbers” of people are returning to offices to work. But when pressed, Number 10 could not provide any figures to back this up, instead stating it was more of a wish. The Government is pushing for a return to work at the same time schools are reopening, rather than staggering these two acts to see the effect of one and monitoring any effects, so if there is a spike in cases anywhere, both schools and offices will have to close.

But these are mere details, when Johnson is pushing for headlines, and the right wing press play along. Ignoring the fact that many employers, mine included, are ordering us to work from home, if we can, and offices only at 50% occupancy at most. A full return will happen when it is safe to do so. Meaning that any kind of national return to normal could be a year away, and businesses like Pret and Costa, railway TOCs and so on will have to struggle with vastly reduced customers.

Funny how Brexiteers care about Costa and Pret now, but are willing to sink the entire economy with the Brexit depth charge.

Funny that.