NO2ID

I would welcome comment on the following idea.

There are apparently easy ways of evading the intended collection of our communications data as outlined regarding the Government Draft Communications Data Bill. I am not an IT person but understand that (purely for example) use of VPN (proxy servers) will prevent an ISP from seeing any of the data that the government want to collect. Also, for example, use of unregistered PAYG mobiles would render any communications untraceable. These are possibly not the best examples, but I hope I make my point.

I am seriously considering setting up a website designed to educate the general public about such possibilities, in order to start a guerrilla war against state intrusion into our electronic privacy. Most people are doubtless unaware of such possibilities, but a well-written site would help them to retain their privacy by advising them how they could shield their personal electronic communications from the state. Such a site would also continuously invite ideas from people who - unlike me - really are experts in the different areas and these would be posted on the site.

What do you think of such an idea?

I guess since more than 100 people have read my post and there are no responses, I should read the lack of response as "I don't give a shit".

Or maybe people looked and asked themselves what such a site would add to the knowledge pool already provided by the not-insignificant number of similar sites and advice pages that already exist.

Oh - I'm clearly missing something - I'm sorry.

My point was not about the availability of such information, it was about the gap between such sites and the general public. Perhaps I just haven't looked hard enough (I thought I had) but it seemed to me that the information is in a format which is likely only to attract those who consider themselves IT-savvy, not the greater part of the population who (you will agree) do not know what is a proxy server or VPN, for instance. It was a suggestion to bridge the gap between those who know something about such things and those who do not but are concerned about their privacy.

The point, then (as this is a public campaign website, not an IT nerd site), was not about the IT-savvy evading such surveillance, but about helping and educating the general public to evade such surveillance. If you would point me in the direction of sites which wouldn't put off the man in the street concerned about his privacy as being for IT nerds I'd be most grateful.

Perhaps there are pages on NO2ID (missed them) or on Bigbrotherwatch (missed them) or on liberty (missed them)?

It could be that the 100 people who had looked at my post asked what such a site would add, or alternatively it could be that since the demise of NIR the NO2ID forum has become a moribund spectator sport or IT clique?