Data Retention and Investigatory Powers (DRIP)

[nowheyjose 3]

As you may be aware the UK Government is attempting to ram through emergency primary legislation this week as a result of the recent European ruling that blanket surveillance is unlawful. The government is arguing that DRIP does not give them anymore more powers. Unsurprisingly, not everyone agrees that this is the case.

 

The DRIP legislation will allow the government, under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers [RIPA],  to compel foreign (extraterritorial) Communication Service Providers (CSPs)who provide services to UK persons to adhere to UK warrants, retain data and intercept communication.

 

I am writing to ask if you intend to comply with the UK legislation and if you have ever complied with a RIPA warrant at any time in the past?

[thecult 2]

As all the mps typically votes in favour of this new law, I too am very interested what airvpn has to say about this matter.

[Artful Dodger 23]

Parliament approves timetable motion for DRIP bill

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jul/15/emergency-surveillance-legislation-fast-tracked-parliament

[nowheyjose 3]

DRIP has received Royal Ascent and is now an Act of Parliament!

 

https://twitter.com/HouseofCommons/status/489805169757290496

 

I don't expect an immediate answer but wanted to be assured than an admin will address my concerns?

 

 

The following two paragraphs is a from a legal analysis about Clause 4 of the DRIP Bill which modifies RIPA.

http://ukconstitutionallaw.org/2014/07/14/tom-hickman-on-the-drip-bill-plugging-gaps-in-surveillance-laws-or-authorising-the-unlawful/

 

Clause 4 of the DRIP Bill makes express provision for service of interception warrants on companies abroad imposing on them an obligation, backed by criminal sanctions, to secure the interception of communications.

The DRIP Bill also provides that in determining whether a company or person has a defence under RIPA of having taken all steps which were “reasonably practicable” to take to facilitate the interception, regard is to be had to whether what they were being required to do by the UK agency was unlawful under the law of the foreign state (Clause 4(4)). However it falls short of stating that a person or company based overseas can refuse to cooperate if cooperation with a UK agency will involve the company or its employees breaking the law of a foreign country.

Hope to hear from you soon.

[Baheid 0]

Air VPN - can you answer the questions now, please?  By the looks of it, you must comply with the new legislation.  If that is the case,people may not renew their subscriptions.

[Staff 10016]

Hello!

 

We will examine the legislation you're talking about in due time. At the moment nothing changes on the UK servers.

 

Kind regards

[nowheyjose 3]

Thanks AirVpn.

 

One member of the tribunal bench at the Investigatory Tribunals described the Act as a "difficult if not impenetrable statue". That is from a judge with decades of experience on these sorts of things. Our MPs voted this through in less than a week. See, they CAN get stuff done when they want to!

 

Good luck, hope the lawyers don't cost too much. 

[Baheid 0]

It is appropriate that AirVPN is going to examine the legislation.  Please let us all know where you stand as a VPN provider - there is some urgency here as the legislation is being rushed through.

[PortlyNinja 17]

It gets more like 1984 everyday!

[Artful Dodger 23]

Bloodred: "It gets more like 1984 everyday!"

 

One day, in the not so far off future in the UK, I shall be awoken by the alarm in my bedroom shouting at me it is time to get up. I shall prepare myself for the day whilst listening to the radio as it barks out the Governments latest "austerity" measures and anti-terrorist legislation.

 

The camera outside my front door will record my time of departure, whilst the street camera/microphones will pick up my muted "hello" to the neighbour. I will drive to the rail station, passing beneath the numerous number plate recognition cameras, my entire journey being recorded for posterity. At the station, the chip in my arm will register my arrival, opening the gate to admit me. I shall find a seat amongst the impassive passengers, all sitting in silence, ear phones in place.

 

The posters on the carriage walls tell us that all activity is filmed and recorded......for our own safety, of course.

 

As I leave the train, the chip in my arm will record the destination and automatically deduct the cost of my journey from my bank account. I look up at the CCTV cameras that follow my every move. On entering my place of work, the chip releases the security doors and I am scanned, to make sure I carry no weapons.... so they say. I then sit down at my computer. Seven turgid hours will pass, because all e-mail, conversation and time away from desk are monitored.

 

All conversation must be work based, any other topic is a sack-able offence!!

 

Several e-mails remain unseen, because they are accompanied by a message, "This mail has been blocked for your own protection", and you while away the day wondering what monstrous evil they contained, so bad that I am not allowed to view them.

 

At the end of my shift, I shall return home, once more in silence, eat a revolting meal of processed tripe and then watch several hours of mindless television, consisting of celebrity game shows, a sealed house harbouring 20 people in straight-jackets who keep trying to head butt each other, and "documentaries" about multi millionaires leading empty, vacuous lives.

 

The news will inform me of how the latest Government anti-terrorist legislation has led to yet another terrorist plot being foiled, will inform me that there is yet another faceless enemy from a Middle Eastern country who threatens our very way of life and so must be destroyed, and finally they will release the latest results from the Governments "happiness" survey, telling us how wonderful our lives are.

 

I go on the internet which only lets you go on government pre-approved websites. All emails monitored and recorded. 

 

Then, just as I get up to retire for the night, I will tell the camera that is built into the TV set to go “f**k itself”.

 

I shall then go to bed saying "How did we ever let them do this to us?"

[PortlyNinja 17]

@Artful Dodger and they said we were crazy when we said it would happen. Its scary that such things can happen in the name of the peoples safety when this is the worst way anyone could ever be made safe is to give a superpower the ability to monitor its every move. Just fish in a bowl with the corporations governing our lives with fishing rods and the occassional bit of feed to keep us dull. We really need to stop this before its too late. I wonder what great things they will do for our safety in the future.I daren't write a guess in case they see it as a request. Would connecting to TOR then Airvpn be of help for this?

[Baheid 0]

No word about RIPA legislation from AirVPN since 18 July?  Surely we need your answer by now?

[PortlyNinja 17]

Has anyone got any ideas yet about what this means for brits using a vpn? Has staff got anywhere legally with this.Do they now have to log. I trust airvpn and i have nothing to hide but what i do online is my business and not the governments.I use a vpn because its one of the few ways left to get that freedom. Is it now a lost freedom for british people? I am curious what Airvpn are going to do. I would like to know so i can research new ways to do my shopping with out some ministerial pervert stealing my data.Has anyone on the site got any insight.  Thanks.

 

edit: i know bitcoin is an option.

[PortlyNinja 17]

Has this been answered somewhere and i've missed it.Its been a while and the lack of an answer makes me nervous.I trust Airvpn but this law may affect british users so an answer is important.Thanks

[Baheid 0]

It is now 4 MONTHS since the post by nowheyjose about the DRIP legislation and still no response from AirVPN.  Can someone in the organisation reply now?  Or should your paying customer base be worried?

[Staff 10016]

It is now 4 MONTHS since the post by nowheyjose about the DRIP legislation and still no response from AirVPN.  Can someone in the organisation reply now?  Or should your paying customer base be worried?

 

Hello,

 

nothing has changed in our obligations, we have not been notified of anything, so there are no news to inform you about and our policy on UK VPN servers remains the same.

 

Kind regards

[McLoEa 25]

If you are in the UK then connect to a VPN server that is outside the UK,all will be well.