Jacqui Smith DNA Spy

Up to 1 million innocent peoples DNA will be removed from the database, Jacqui Smith said:

there has to be a balance between the need to protect the public and respecting their rights. Based on risks versus benefits, our view is that we can now destroy all samples.

What she's not saying however is the European Court of Human Rights ruled that keeping the samples "could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society". She has no choice but to comply. Smith can dress it up all she likes but, she cares about as much for civil liberties as most people care for her.

Yet her dishonesty doesn't end there though, after saying she respects the concerns of people with regard to her mega database and U-turning on it. Agent Smith backhandedly created a program called 'Mastering the Internet'. Like something from a James Bond film MTI, has installed black boxes which gather email and internet information on us. The project has been allocated a budget of £1 billion over three years, so it is well past the "possibility" stage. The Times reports it as:

A huge room of super-computers will help the agency to monitor — and record — data passing through black-box probes placed at critical traffic junctions with internet service providers and telephone companies, allowing GCHQ to spy at will.

One of the firms undertaking the work is American, which is particular interest as under USA Patriot Act the data can be requested by the US government. This worry has been raised before with a US firm being awarded the census 2011. Coincidentally the same company.

Update: GCHQ has issued a statement denying any plans to monitor everyone, saying that the project is intended to "enable the organisation keep pace with developments in internet technology."