{"id":10950,"date":"2016-05-15T23:37:16","date_gmt":"2016-05-16T02:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/culturedarm.com\/?p=10950"},"modified":"2017-04-08T21:20:17","modified_gmt":"2017-04-09T00:20:17","slug":"cultureteca-06-03-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culturedarm.com\/staging\/5793\/cultureteca-06-03-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultureteca 06.03.16"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cultureteca-63\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Home Office Publishes Revised Investigatory Powers Bill<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Tuesday the Home Office in the United Kingdom published a revised Investigatory Powers Bill<\/a>, meant to address some of the criticisms and recommendations made by the Intelligence and Security Committee of parliament and by a Joint Select Committee which held sessions across December and January.<\/p>\n

Home Secretary Theresa May put the draft Investigatory Powers Bill before parliament last November<\/a>. In its original form<\/a>, it would have required\u00a0Communications Service Providers to store for\u00a012 months records of the websites visited by every UK citizen, and for the first time would have authorised equipment interference and the bulk collection of personal communications data, as well as targeted data interception, and bulk data interception relating to individuals outside of the UK.<\/p>\n

Contrary to the recommendation of the Intelligence and Security Committee, the revised bill<\/a> in fact bolsters the right of the authorities to engage in equipment interference, allowing warrants to be issued urgently in cases of ‘imminent threat to life or serious harm’. Rather than limiting requests to communications services and illegal material, it effectively allows the authorities to apply for access to all website browsing data<\/a>. Concerns regarding encryption<\/a> and\u00a0a proper process of review<\/a>\u00a0have been ignored. And a contested passage justifying state surveillance for the protection of Britain’s ‘economic well-being’ remains intact.<\/p>\n

The revised bill does reaffirm a commitment to a ‘double-lock’, making\u00a0judicial commissioners responsible for\u00a0approving data and interference requests. And the Home Office have\u00a0as promised published a full ‘codes of practice’<\/a>. The scrutiny process from this point forward remains unclear, but could include another select committee.<\/p>\n

While Theresa May praised the revised bill as ‘both clearer and stronger in protecting privacy’, the executive director of the Open Rights Group Jim Killock said:<\/p>\n

‘On first reading, the revised Bill barely pays lip service to the concerns raised by the committees that scrutinised the draft Bill.\u00a0If passed, it would mean that the UK has one of the most draconian surveillance laws of any democracy with mass surveillance powers to monitor every citizen’s browsing history.’<\/em><\/p>\n

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Comedians Sitting on Vibrators Getting Coffee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given\u00a0the roaring success of Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee<\/em>, it’s a surprise that the internet isn’t already buzzing with imitations. Stand-up comic Nikki Glaser looked to set that right with a segment from the latest episode of Not Safe with Nikki Glaser<\/em><\/a>, the sex-themed television series which premiered last month on Comedy Central. The segment’s title is self-explanatory, ‘Comedians Sitting on Vibrators Getting Coffee’ starring Glaser as she attempts to muster more than stimulating conversation seated across from fellow stand-up Sara Schaefer.<\/p>\n