Mozilla is not backing the UK Investigatory Powers Bill or data retention

[Batu69]

SOFTWARE COMPANY MOZILLA is vociferously opposed to the potential of the draft Investigatory Powers Bill that the UK is currently enduring.

The bill has been saddled and ridden by UK home secretary Theresa May, and is the last egg sandwich in the buffet. It does not look right, it does not smell right, and it is hard to swallow.

Mozilla is not the first to oppose it - Jimmy Wales has already had a go - but it is the most recent and does make some very good points.

Mozilla has presented written evidence to the UK government of its objections, and we suspect that it will be filed in a ‘negative' pile.

The browser maker offers a vocal opposition to the potentially risky practices of mass data collection.

"The open internet relies on technological and legal design decisions to ensure its continued vitality. Unfortunately, the legislation before you would undermine that framework, and represent a serious threat to open source software, online commerce, user privacy, security and trust. A comprehensive revision of the Investigatory Powers Bill is necessary to protect the internet and its users," Mozilla said.

"The bill proposes a broad and dangerous set of surveillance mandates and authorities that threaten privacy and security online. Keeping internet users safe does not have to cost them their privacy, or the integrity of communications infrastructure. We believe the current legislation falls far short of striking the right balance."

Not striking the right balance is a problem for Mozilla and the internet and its users. Mozilla is concerned about the role that the company might have to play, and whether that would affect its customer relations. This is not a concern of governments.

"Compelling companies to modify their products to allow government access would deny UK businesses the ability to provide secure products and services to their customers, undermining trust and the success of UK businesses in the software and online service industries," Mozilla added.

"For Mozilla, user trust is paramount, and any obligations introduced which would require us to undermine the security of the products and services we build and distribute would pose a significant challenge to our operations in the UK.

"The bulk systems intrusion provisions in the Investigatory Powers Bill could be used to compel a software developer, like Mozilla, to ship hostile software,

essentially malware, to a user - or many users - without notice. As an open source project, this is problematic from philosophical and practical perspectives."

The firm also warned that the recent flurry of data breaches ought to serve as examples of why it is not a good idea to store personal data.

"As the nearly daily parade of data breaches makes clear, amassing the personal information of everyone exposes that data to breach, theft, misuse and abuse. Data acquired is data at risk, and such a threat to user security and privacy is not warranted."

If that's not good enough, Mozilla said that the open source nature of its software would make it impossible to keep in the bottle, and that the government would struggle to cast a net over all Mozilla software waters.

News source

[vibranium]

There's a need for surveillance, there's a need for privacy. How to balance the two in the world we live in? No security or legal expert has yet to come up with a universally accepted framework.

[steven36]

There's a need for surveillance, there's a need for privacy. How to balance the two in the world we live in? No security or legal expert has yet to come up with a universally accepted framework.

Microsoft s theory is they will protect drug dealers emails but they will help the government capture terrorists and hackers . Only they help the government when its benefits them selling there products riding the internet of hackers and terrorists makes the internet a safer place witch makes windows safer . Microsoft are not legal experts they hire wishy washy rich lawyers to fight there battles in Court. Microsoft retains data in places were its not even mandatory . These rich businesses that harvest data are for profit are the ones who gave the government the idea to benefit from it to begin with. What's going to end up happing is the UK is going to end up having to ban open source software to even pull this off . Because closed source can hide backdoors and not give you the code . Open Source has post its code.

They want Firefox and other browsers to hand over what everyone does in the UK

"Secret backdoor notices (I mean 'technical capability notices') will be issued, and enterprising geek that wants to open a debate about them will either know nothing about them, or be breaking the law,' said Danezis.

The draft legislation was presented to the British parliament by UK Home Secretary Theresa May on November 4. The Home Secretary also confirmed that a controversial proposal to allow law enforcement access to anybody's internet browsing history remains a part of the bill.

Called an 'Internet Connection Record,' the power allows the police to identify which communications services a person or device has connected to, and forces ISPs to hold this information about their users for a year.

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20151107/1029755375/uk-internet-spy-law.html

This means they would have to ban VPNs because if someone uses one outside the UK witch don’t require data retention you’re isp would have no record . ;)

[vibranium]

Yeah, I think the proposed law is too much.