" David Cameron Wants to Ban You from Using Snapchat and WhatsApp "

[iHammmy]

David Cameron has made possibly the worst play in history if he's still hoping to hook in some of that cool youth vote: he's threatened to ban every young person's two primary junk photo communication tools, Snapchat and WhatsApp.

 

In a statement made yesterday, Big D said that – should he somehow figure out a way to lead the country for a second term – he would crack down on forms of communication that cannot be read by security services even if they have a warrant. That means encrypted services like Telegram; Apple iMessage; FaceTime; all those massive WhatsApp groups you're in where everyone is planning a big awful holiday; and your primary form of watching videos that aren't quite funny enough for Vine: Snapchat.

 

"Are we going to allow a means of communications which it simply isn't possible to read?" he said yesterday. "My answer to that question is: 'No, we must not.'"

Basically, it's a retool of the so-called "Snoopers' Charter" repeatedly blocked by the Lib Dems, with a bit of post-riots BBM communication fear thrown in to boot.

Cameron's main concern – and the news hook on which he hung this policy, in a very "let's push this thing we've been planning for a while through while everyone is getting sweaty-palmed over free speech" sort of way – were the attacks in Paris last week, in which the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were attacked by extremists before a hostage situation in a nearby kosher supermarket led to four civilian deaths.

He argued that apps such as WhatsApp were being used by terror cells to plan their attacks, and stressed the need for secret services and the police to be given greater access to private communications. "The attacks in Paris demonstrated the scale of the threat that we face," he said, "and the need to have robust powers through our intelligence and security agencies in order to keep our people safe."

And yes, terrorists do use WhatsApp to make plans. But so do you. So does your mum. So do about 417 million people worldwide. So does my cousin, and he is the kind of wrong era throwback dude who spends most of his time looking at snakes and being angry at the concept of cities.

Encryption isn't just important when it comes to keeping your dick-pics or your terror plans safe and secure; it also stops people yanking your credit card details when you buy something online, or having your bank details ripped off wholesale with the kind of digital skills last thought of as cutting edge in the film Hackers. So when David Cameron is making a weak-punch swing at encryption, he's exposing the UK to more than just the threat of an isolated terrorist attack: he's having a massive pop at personal privacy, too. And he's doing it literally hours after travelling to Paris proclaiming the importance of freedom of speech.

 

And most of all, he's swinging at the fly of terror with the wrong rolled-up newspaper. Think about it: there are other forms of communication beyond WhatsApp. There are carrier pigeons, for example. Handwritten letters. And, encryption or not, there's nothing really stopping a terror cell WhatsApping the message, "Fancy popping down Nando's, lads?" and setting their plans into motion – with their mouths, using unencrypted human sounds – over a bottomless frozen yoghurt.

Sources:

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/david-cameron-wants-to-ban-you-from-using-snapchat-and-whatsapp-673?utm_source=vicefbuk

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/british-prime-minister-suggests-banning-some-online-messaging-apps/

 

All information is quoted directly from the sources listed above.

[JeffreyEagan]

Yes. Jesus christ this man dun fuk'd up.

[The_Evenger]

i have absolutely no response to this.

 

Edit: on one hand i hate online social things such as snap chat and whatsapp

on the other hand, i don't think they really deserve this...

[Jade]

Essentially a repost of this, but actually in Tech News. Eh.

[Nikeshp79]

We don't get called the nanny-state for nothing... >.>

[JeffreyEagan]

I think that the government should be able to see public stuff, like facebook or twitter, and be able to access private messages with a warrant. Anything public is okay, but when they start sniffing around in your computer remotely with no reason or suspicion of criminal activity crosses the line.

[Blueprint]

I honestly have no idea how they will filter out everything to find the important information they need.

[Nikeshp79]

i have absolutely no response to this.

 

Edit: on one hand i hate online social things such as snap chat and whatsapp

on the other hand, i don't think they really deserve this...

+1 to the "I hate snapchat" part haha

[LAwLz]

For anyone who still doubts that David Cameron isn't an idiot, here is the citation from him:

 

Are we going to allow a means of communications which it simply isn’t possible to read? No, we must not.

 

God forbid that the lawful citizens in your country are able to communicate with each other without the government eavesdropping on their conversation. Better treat everyone like criminals because the 0.0001% who are.

 

I wonder if David Cameron realize that terrorist groups don't use fucking WhatsApp and Snapchat to organize their terrorist attacks. Actually that's a silly though. Of course he knows that. Scaring people with terrorists (or "think of the children") is the easiest way to pass fucking retarded laws like this though.

Also, so what if Cameron makes it illegal? It's not like terrorists will follow the law anyway. That's the thing with criminals, they don't follow the law. That's why you will never be able to reduce the number of crimes by making more things illegal.

 

It's a shame I am not in the UK because if I were the "world champion of surveillance" would probably see this message, and I really want them to know how stupid I think they are.

[virtualTune]

I don't have a problem with Snapchat or Whatsapp. If you don't like it, don't use it. Honestly I don't really care if the state watches what I am doing. For all I care Cameron could watch me shower, so long as he doesn't arrest me for looking sexier than him  

@LukaP thoughts? 

[IdortMasterRace]

i have absolutely no response to this.

 

Edit: on one hand i hate online social things such as snap chat and whatsapp

on the other hand, i don't think they really deserve this...

 

It doesn't matter what you personally hate, what matters is that the government is banning services that people use and taking away their privacy and freedom of speech.

 

For the record, I hate both those services too.

[IdortMasterRace]

Please stop harassing members in my thread.

 

It's called 'having a discussion', and I will continue to do so in this thread, thank you.

[Victorious Secret]

IMHO, Cameron is a fucking moron. What more can you possibly say? 

 

i have absolutely no response to this.

 

Edit: on one hand i hate online social things such as snap chat and whatsapp

on the other hand, i don't think they really deserve this...

 

Why do you hate them? Did Snapchat and/or WhatsApp personally insult your mother? Do tell, since hate is a very strong word to use to describe your feelings towards anything. 

More likely, you feel a need to "hate on something because its popular". WhatsApp allows for cheap messaging across most platforms and it works fairly well and has deep market penetration. Snapchat is a silly app that you have no obligation to use or even care about, but others do because once again, it came at the right time and dug in deep. 
 

 

-snip-

 

Please tell your members to stop saying silly things then. Also, what he said isn't harassment. If thats what you consider harassment, how politically correct is your life that you can't handle someone saying something that mild? 

[Steinway]

I hate my country.

[LukaP]

I don't have a problem with Snapchat or Whatsapp. If you don't like it, don't use it. Honestly I don't really care if the state watches what I am doing. For all I care Cameron could watch me shower, so long as he doesn't arrest me for looking sexier than him

@LukaP thoughts? 

I think you do indeed look sexier than him. was that what you wanted?

[virtualTune]

I think you do indeed look sexier than him. was that what you wanted?

pretty much

[LukaP]

pretty much

What do you think about me?

[virtualTune]

What do you think about me?

def sexier than cameron

[LukaP]

def sexier than cameron

[The_Evenger]

Victorious Secret, on 13 Jan 2015 - 1:19 PM, said:

Why do you hate them? Did Snapchat and/or WhatsApp personally insult your mother? Do tell, since hate is a very strong word to use to describe your feelings towards anything. 

More likely, you feel a need to "hate on something because its popular". WhatsApp allows for cheap messaging across most platforms and it works fairly well and has deep market penetration. Snapchat is a silly app that you have no obligation to use or even care about, but others do because once again, it came at the right time and dug in deep. 

actually, you're right about wahtsapp, it's useful when roaming and stuffs, but no mater what I just find snapchat annoying simply because I don't need the picture

[PortentousLad]

I think it's time we listened in on their private stuff, better yet let's follow them with cameras 24/7 filming them even on the toiled I WILL NOT have them waist any more of MY  tax money for stupid crap any more! We need to put an end to politicians running rampant. They need to be controlled and constantly be told how to do their job.

 

Seriously they constantly show us how incompetent they are so let's regulate their actions, mostly what they do at home though, who they marry, how they name their kids. I mean they are state representatives we can't let them name their kids just anything before consulting the public on it now can we?

[Albatross]

Not enough people care that there are people like this wishing to invade your privacy and take your rights.

 

I hope all this madness doesn't continue on for too long. I don't want to live in a world where Minitrue etc is a real thing.

[fishy]

conspiracy theorist are having a field trip over this

[Nitroblast]

David Cameron is a twat, Conservatives are twats, all the fucking parties are twats and democracy is a stinking mess.

[Toxic Tom]

Piss off Dave