As NO2ID highlighted in the Queen's Speech [1], the Coroners and
Justice Bill which received its First Reading in the Lords yesterday
[2], will turn the Data Protection Act on its head as far as
government use of personal information is concerned - giving powers to
ministers to override confidentiality and data protection and to use
information collected for one purpose for any other purpose.

As fits a snooping power, this is being sneaked in. Four clauses in
the 160-clause bill, which contains a bundle of more eye-catching
measures, create a new regime of 'information sharing orders' that any
government department can use to change acts of parliament and
override confidentiality.

If passed into law this would mean that ministers would, for example,
be able to order that any information collected in the 2011 census
could be passed to any government department. Any promise of secrecy
made by any minister or government agency could be overridden at any
point in the future.

Phil Booth, NO2ID's National Coordinator said:

'The data sharing powers in this Bill are a perversion of justice and
of language, converting the Data Protection Act into its exact
reverse. If this passes, you can forget you ever had privacy.'

Guy Herbert, NO2ID's General Secretary said:

'We rightly had to wait 100 years to see our ancestors' census forms,
but any promises that your 2011 census answers will be confidential
might as well be printed in disappearing ink.'



Notes:

1) See 'The Big Brother state - by stealth', Independent, 4/12/08 -
 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-big-brother-state-ndash-by-stealth-1050576.html

2) See  http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/coroners-justice-bill.htm

For further information, or for immediate or future interview, please contact:
Phil Booth (National Co-ordinator,  national.coordinator@no2id.net) on
07974 230 839
Guy Herbert (General Secretary,  general.secretary@no2id.net) on 07956 544 308
Michael Parker (Press Officer,  press.officer@no2id.net) on 07773 376 166