The next official London 2600 meeting will be on Friday 2nd November 2018 from 18:30 to 19:30.
Coventry Street front entrance of the former Trocadero
Opposite TGI Friday
Piccadilly
London W1D 7DH
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/4FxdpbA9fGK2
Subscribe to the London 2600 email discussion list or email this blog via meetings@london2600.org.uk
In parallel with the Centre for Investigative Journalism Conspiracy, The 2018 CIJ Logan Symposium.#LoganCIJ https://tcij.org/conspiracy
Twitter: @cijlogan
Friday 19th October 2018, 6.30 pm - 10.30 pm
St. James Hatcham Building,
Goldsmiths,
University of London,
New Cross,
London SE14 6NW
https://www.gold.ac.uk/find-us/places/st-james-hatcham-building/
More information and Schedule
Twitter: @CryptoPartyLDN
Given the number of Investigative Journalists and some of the Spies Who Watch Them who will be attending the CIJ Logan Symposium,
this should be interesting.
SpyBlog will be leading a workssop:
First Contact Problem - Under what threat models can journalists and activists protect their anonymous sources / contacts and vice versa ? How can their communications and meetings be kept private ? Also the regular Anonymity SwapShop - bring along spare social media accounts, SIM Cards, burner phones, Oyster Travel Cards etc. to swap or barter with other people, to help break the financial and CCTV purchase trails.
Monday 16th July 2018 6.30 pm to late
Ju Ju's Bar & Stage, 15 Hanbury St, E1 6QR
No registration, free entry (licensed premises)
https://goo.gl/maps/fivDjihSQ4S2
More information and Schedule
Twitter: @CryptoPartyLDN
Tuesday 19th June 2018 6.30 pm to late
Ju Ju's Bar & Stage, 15 Hanbury St, E1 6QR
No registration, free entry (licensed premises)
https://goo.gl/maps/fivDjihSQ4S2
More information and Schedule
Twitter: @CryptoPartyLDN
Tuesday 19th June 2018 6.30 pm to late
Ju Ju's Bar & Stage, 15 Hanbury St, E1 6QR
No registration, free entry (licensed premises)
https://goo.gl/maps/fivDjihSQ4S2
More information and Schedule
Twitter: @CryptoPartyLDN
Channel 4 reality tv programme Hunted manages to get you to suspend disbelief (you quickly ignore the obvious presence of a camera person with each fugitive) as around a dozen "fugitives" are hunted by a team of hunters with
the simulated (in the case of CCTV and ANPR) powers of our UK surveillance state.
It is worthwhile thinking about some of the techniques used in the 4 series so far and how proportionate their use is in any real
cases, apart from the very most serious criminal or national security scenarios.
Twitter hash tag: #Hunted
Channel 4 Hunted home page
Hunters' techniques already used
DVLA vehicle Registered Keeper check
ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition
GPS / Mobile phone vehicle tracking device attached to family / friend's car
Private aeroplane flight plans
AIS boat / ship beacon mapping
Public CCTV - realistically not available in real time except at transport hubs
Bank ATM CCTV
Bank ATM card transaction alert
Mobile hunter teams in distinctive Volvos or BMWs etc. (N.B. product sponsorship deals)
Mobile hunter teams in less distinctive white van etc.
Helicopter surveillance - limited airtime
Drones - limited battery, not so great in bad weather#
N.B. neither helicopters nor drones are likely to be used in near major airport flightpaths
Directed Surveillance "stake our"of fugitives family / friends homes using remote cameras and human watchers.
Sniffer dogs
Mobile Phone subscriber details - registered or burner ?
Mobile phone new SIM card in known IMEI handset
Mobile Phone friendship tree - other numbers called / recived when, how long for
Mobile Phone Location Data - targeted
Mobile Phone Cell tower dumps - all other people, not explicitly suspected of anything, in an area at a time
snail mail intercept of letters / postcards
Social Media monitoring
Twitter
FaceBoook
Contact chain mapping / visualisation - IBM i2 Analysts Notebook etc.
Mobile Cell Tower dump analysis to detect candidates for people who picked up a fugitive in a relatively isolated village
at a certain time and then phoned their mate to arrange a further lift the next day. Harder to do in a City, but there are more
Cell Towers per square kilometre. N.B. usualy a maximum of 256 simulataneous calls per Cell
Hacking of seized laptops , iPads, SmartPhones after a visit by hunters
Covert Hacking via USB malware of laptops , iPads, SmartPhones during a visit by hunters
Web bugging the USB with the fugitive extractiomn instructions to betray the IP address and thus approximate location of where it was opened
(Fugitives should make sure the internet is disconnected if they need to do this again)
Forensic analysis of paper writing pads and note books etc. to reveal writing impressions on the blank paper
Encouraging children and other casual occupants of a fugitive's family or friends or casual helper's home to talk about the exciting / famous visitor(s) and where they are going
Local radio and newspaper and social media Reward Appeals
£££ cash rewards for tips to publicised phone line or email address
Bribing £££ with reward offer other casual occupants of a fugitive's family or friends or casual helper's home to talk about the exciting / famous visitor(s) and where they are going
Psychological pressure especially on fugitives with young families
"ghost agent" - Non-hunter private investigator / CHIS acting as undercover agent e.g. picking up hitchikers and taking them to the hunters
Social Engineering / blatantly lying to casual contacts on the phone or in person contradicting the fugitives story to get information on them e.g. drop off point
Social Engineering / offering a financial reward to casual contacts on the phone or in person to get information on the fugitives e.g. drop off point
Hunters techniques - not yet seen
internal Bus and Train CCTV - can't be real time
London Oyster Travel Card data - some early posters, but was it actually used ?
London Oyster travel Card combined with TfL CCTV
Mobile device Wifi Probes trying to automatically connect back to out of range home or office Wifi
Mobile device Wifi Probes trying to automatically connect back to out of range but distinctive list of "free" WiFi Access Points
GPS coordinates embedded in a digital image posted on social media - Exif metadata - like John McAfee EXIF Data May Have Revealed Location of Fugitive Software Tycoon John McAfee<\a>
Digital camera flaw analysis of digital image posted on social media to identify other photos taken with this (borrowed ?) device, which may lead to the owner
GPS Fitness tracker social media app (e.g. Strava) infiltration and analysis to identify competitive runners or swimmers or cyclists who may be contacts
Equivalent of Cell Dump using e.g. Google Maps - who has been downloading map tiles of a certain area at the relevant time for navigation ? Do their
other Map downloads give a clue as to where they are heading ?
GPS navigation device route data from "seized" vehicle that gave the fugitive a lift
GPS navigation device route data from "seized" SmartPhone of a driver gave the fugitive a lift
GPS / Mobile Phone Network tracking of vehicles fitted with E111 emergency "call the ambulance if in a crash" technology
Private Investigator / CHIS cruising the initial Start location, or, when identified the Extraction point as a mini cab driver / Uber driver to pick up fugitives and lead them into the arms of the hunters.
Fugitives' techniques already used
Wigs, and change of clothing disguises
Hats and scarves - most CCTV looks downwards, so these can make it harder for hunters to pick out enough identifying detail of your face
Human decoy disguised as the fugitive
Initial start point disguising of luggage e.g. rucksacks hidden in airline style luggage cases on with wheels
Heading for the countryside along canals etc without urban CCTV
Heading for the countryside to a network of friends
Heading for cities with network of friends
Having a huge network of friends or fans e.g. tv / pop stars with fans, political activists or Free Masons
Burner phone - not enough to swap SIMs - phoning a "watched" number hardly slows the hunters down at all
Disinformation - planting false clues for the hunters
Social Engineering / Blagging lifts / hitchiking
Social Engineering / Blagging the temporary use of a starnger's mobile phone to make a call
Social Engineering / Blagging the temporary use of a stranger's computer to use the internet etc.
Using an online mobile phone app simulator to send an App message to a physical SmartPhone
Bicycles - no ANPR
Motorbikes / scooters - less chance of ANPR
Taxis - quickly jumping in to e.g. London black cab taxi is better than waiting in the open for a bus, but risks hunters getting drop off details from the driver / company or even internal CCTV
Speed Boat
Helicopter
Fugitives' techniques - not yet seen
burner phone to burner phone communications to friends or family
WiFi or Ethernet connection hacking to get "anonymous" access to the internet
Use of Tor or a foreign based VPN
Use of mobile phone 3G or 4G PAYG data packages to get mobile internet access on the run
Use of Satellite Phones - easy to intercept but hard to jam or find the exact location of
Counter bribes - if social media / local press & radio campaign offering £200 , offer people giving you lift £500 as you have a chance of winning £100,000
Getting friends to run a counter Have You Spotted this Hunter social media campaign with £££ rewards on offer - fake Wanted Posters unnerved them a bit previously
Infilitrating / surveilling the Hunters' HQ
Covertly grabbing identifiable WiFi and BlueTooth MAC addresses and Probe SSIDs etc. from the Hunters, when a family member or friend is interviewed
Getting a ticket / bus / train bound e.g. for London but getting off at a stop before
Purchasing multiple transport tickets or a "roam anywhere" ticket
Using an Amazon or other courier to get a package with a burner phone to a friend or family member via an Amazon Locker or other non-home parcel pick up point
N.b. Intercept of such a burner phone and bugging / monitoring thereafter by the hunters
Hunters sending a "burner" phone to family / friends of fugitive, pretending it has come from the fugitive, to encourage them to contact them on the fugitive's secret burner phone
Pair of fugitives splitting up so that one of them can distract the hunters near the extraction point, letting the other escape / win the prize
Other contestants spotting you near the extraction point and dobbing you in, to distract hunter resources so they vcan escape / win the prize
USA Hunted technique of enrolling the good looking fugitive(s) on dating apps in an area, and then posting £££ reward info to the people who have seen or even flirted with the fugitives
Radio Monitoring the airwaves / listening to walkie talkie radio of approaching hunter teams
Radio Detecting the presence of hunter teams via their bluetooth headphone / microphones
Uber app taxi alternative - given the snooping and mapping, is this worth the risk of central digital betrays to the hunters or malware a cloned SmartPhone ?
Setting up pre-arranged series of random code words (memorised not written or stored electronically) with family / friends either as a word code about specific locations, dates, times or as authenticators of ad hoc messages(hunters have intercepted and faked postal mail messages)
e.g. getting a friendly stranger to email or social media a message to family / friends including a code word to prove its authenticity
Fugitives' Errors
Buses and Trains are a bit of a trap unless hunters think you are not using them
Contacting loved ones - an essential part of the dramatic tension of the show
Taunting the Hunters
Not taking *all* available cash at an ATM
Ignoring multiple sightings of distinctive hunters' volvo cars
Being noticably loud / obnoxious to pub / hotel staff
Failing to tip pub / hotel staff - no reason for them not to claima £££ reward if offered
Expecting a taxi driver not to give up info on drop off point if offered £££ reward
Wearing a bin liner over your head makes you stand out on CCTV, *not* the reverse !
Just changing the SIM in your mobile phone handset does nothing to stop it being tracked via the IMEI serial number sent with every voice or data call.
Getting too paranoid about real time CCTV in rural areas - the Hunters might be able to get yesterday's footage, but it could take a week
Not being paranoid enough about real time CCTV in major city centres and bus / rail / airports etc.
Hunters' Errors
Most of the power and resources are with the Hunters, so most of their near misses or failed captures have been literally only by a few minutes or seconds (with approriate suspension of disbelief)
They have fallen for a few of the wily / arrogant fugitives false trails and decoys i.e. deliberately false clues as to location
They have misjudged people who have helped the fugitives e.g. offering a £££ reward / bribe, and then thinking it was working only to be told that the "informant" had changed their mind or would not "grass" for the small sum offered.
The randomness of some of the fugitives hitchhiking has caused the Hunters problems in trying to guess where they might be
Where the Hunters were seen to be blatantly lying to get information, they risked the ire of the tv audience.
Despite the power of thermal imaging from (limited endurance) helicopters or drones, so far, each of the times this technology has been used by thehynters, it has only found false positve wild animals or innocent members of the public, rather than the fugitives, who it has, of course frightened and added to their stress levels, but not enough to matter.
@SpyBlog stepped in to present a workshop at the January 25th 2018 CryptoParty London held at JuJu's Bar & Stage, 15 Hanbury Street, E1 6QR London
https://www.cryptoparty.in/london
As promised here is the slide deck:
Digital trail chasing: using open source intelligence techniques to find how much information is public about you and your friends. (SpyBlog @spyblog)
Digital Trail Chasing slides .pdf .pptx .odp
#CryptoParty Crypto Party London @cryptopartyLDN Cocktail Menu - Excellent
"Quantum-resistant Raspberry"
50% GPG
25% Tails
25% Tor Browser
@jujusbarstage (Raspberry Sidecar - Courvoisier Cognac, Chambord Cointreau, Sugar Syrup, Lime Juice)
The Glass Room is a pop-up tech store with a twist. At first glance, it offers the latest in shiny digital consumer
products, such as the newest tablet, fitness tracker or facial recognition software. But as you go inside, you'll
find there is nothing for sale.
Instead, as you look closer at the 'products' on display, you'll see that they are playfully and provocatively
selected to turn the technologies we all use on their head. The artworks, design pieces, and 'Ingenius' staff
welcome you to take a look behind the screens into the hidden world of what happens to your data. Dig deeper
into how much we reveal about ourselves by trying out free, alternative apps, taking away the 8-day Data Detox Kit,
or interacting with our thematic programme of workshops and events.
The Glass Room is an intervention that prompts reflection, experimentation and play. A place that invites you to discuss how data and technology are changing the personal, professional and social fabric of all our lives and a way of making informed choices in the future.
The Glass Room will be open from Wednesday 25th October to Sunday 12th November, from 12:00pm - 08:00pm every day.
The Glass Room
69-71 Charing Cross Road
London WC2H 0NE
Schedule of Events Workshops & Talks
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Wednesday, 25 October, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : Making Choices in your Digital Life
Whatsapp, Gmail, Google Search - we use these apps and tools because everyone else does, and because... what else is there? This workshop will enable ...
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : De-Googlise Your Life
"One account. All of Google," is Google's tagline. But what does this mean for those of us who use Google search, Google Docs, Gmail, and ...
Thursday, 26 October, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : WTF (What the Facebook)?
What aspects of your life are you sharing with Facebook? How much does this company know about you through your daily use of products like ...
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : Investigating Metadata
We generate metadata all the time - when we send emails, post online, take a picture or even just walk around with our mobile phones ...
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Artist Talk : Adam Harvey - Deep Facial Recognition Query
What's a photo? And what's a face? Both are foundational terms for facial recognition systems, yet there is no clear understanding of either. This talk ...
Friday, 27 October, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : Investigating Metadata
We generate metadata all the time - when we send emails, post online, take a picture or even just walk around with our mobile phones ...
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Artist Talk : Manuel Beltrán: We, the Data Workers.
Artist and activist Manuel Beltrán, founder of the Institute of Human Obsolescence (IoHO), will speak about the future of labour, particularly about our new position ...
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Artist Talk : !Mediengruppe Bitnik: Bots and Angels
Artists !Mediengruppe Bitnik talk about their recent works on bots and the online ecosystems that has formed around them. They will retrace their recent explorations ...
Saturday, 28 October, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : Boost your Browsing
Searching, surfing and shopping, much of it happens in your browser. Curious how your browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and so on) leaves you open to ...
8:00 pm
Screening : UK Premiere: PRE-CRIME (2017)
What if the murder of tomorrow could be prevented today? Welcome to the real Minority Report. Predicting future crimes sounds like something from a sci-fi ...
Sunday, 29 October, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : How the Web Works
We are always connecting to the internet via our mobile phones, tablets and computers, but do we actually know how the internet works? Learn how ...
Monday, 30 October, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : Making Choices in your Digital Life
Whatsapp, Gmail, Google Search - we use these apps and tools because everyone else does, and because... what else is there? This workshop will enable ...
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : De-Googlise Your Life
"One account. All of Google," is Google's tagline. But what does this mean for those of us who use Google search, Google Docs, Gmail, and ...
Tuesday, 31 October, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : Boost your Browsing
Searching, surfing and shopping, much of it happens in your browser. Curious how your browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and so on) leaves you open to ...
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : WTF (What the Facebook)?
What aspects of your life are you sharing with Facebook? How much does this company know about you through your daily use of products like ...
Wednesday, 1 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : Mastering Your Mobile
Your phone is talking to you, and it is constantly generating and transmitting data to others. This workshop will open the box on your mobile ...
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Speaker : Silkie Carlo: Big Data, AI and Human Rights
Silkie Carlo, Senior Advocacy Officer at Liberty, leads the organisation's programme on Technology and Human Rights, advocating for the protection of rights in areas including ...
Thursday, 2 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : Investigating Metadata
We generate metadata all the time - when we send emails, post online, take a picture or even just walk around with our mobile phones ...
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Speaker : Joss Hands: Networks, Things and Objects - The Saving Power of Gadgets
Joss Hands talks about our relationship to 'gadgets' and our capacity to think and act collectively. How have digital communication devices such as mobile phones, ...
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Speaker : Privacy International - Scarlet Kim and Harmit Kambo
Governments can't enter and search our homes without good reason, so why should they be allowed to break and enter into our electronic devices if ...
Friday, 3 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : Making Choices in your Digital Life
Whatsapp, Gmail, Google Search - we use these apps and tools because everyone else does, and because... what else is there? This workshop will enable ...
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : Mastering Your Mobile
Your phone is talking to you, and it is constantly generating and transmitting data to others. This workshop will open the box on your mobile ...
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Speaker : Crofton Black: War Taxonomy - An Encyclopaedia of Conditions for Lethal Force
War Taxonomy looks at the record of transactions between the US Defense Department and the private sector. This data - over 15 million items over ...
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Speaker : Eliot Higgins: The End of Secrets - Conflict in the Engagement Age
Eliot Higgins - the award-winning citizen journalist who founded Bellingcat and the Brown Moses Blog - examines how the spread of social media and open-source ...
Saturday, 4 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : How the Web Works
We are always connecting to the internet via our mobile phones, tablets and computers, but do we actually know how the internet works? Learn how ...
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Workshop : Danja Vasiliev - The Critical Engineering Working Group
'The Critical Engineer considers Engineering to be the most transformative language of our time, shaping the way we move, communicate and think. It is the ...
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Speaker : Silkie Carlo: A Feminist Lens on Mass Surveillance
Silkie Carlo, Senior Advocacy Officer at Liberty, leads the organisation's programme on Technology and Human Rights, advocating for the protection of rights in areas including ...
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Screening : Dreams Rewired
"A lively, visually enthralling attempt to gaze into the future by remembering the past." - Stephen Holden, The New York Times Dreams Rewired - a ...
Sunday, 5 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : WTF (What the Facebook)?
What aspects of your life are you sharing with Facebook? How much does this company know about you through your daily use of products like ...
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Workshop : Data Justice Lab: Citizen Scores - Governing People through their Data
In education and health, migration and criminal justice, people are assigned data scores that affect their access to services and their treatment by courts, the ...
Monday, 6 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : Boost your Browsing
Searching, surfing and shopping, much of it happens in your browser. Curious how your browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and so on) leaves you open to ...
Tuesday, 7 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : How the Web Works
We are always connecting to the internet via our mobile phones, tablets and computers, but do we actually know how the internet works? Learn how ...
Wednesday, 8 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : Boost your Browsing
Searching, surfing and shopping, much of it happens in your browser. Curious how your browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and so on) leaves you open to ...
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Speaker : Carl Miller: Digital Power
This talk will be about Carl Miller's attempts to track down and expose one of the most important things that shapes, guides and limits each ...
Thursday, 9 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : De-Googlise Your Life
"One account. All of Google," is Google's tagline. But what does this mean for those of us who use Google search, Google Docs, Gmail, and ...
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Workshop : Mastering Your Mobile
Your phone is talking to you, and it is constantly generating and transmitting data to others. This workshop will open the box on your mobile ...
Friday, 10 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : Investigating Metadata
We generate metadata all the time - when we send emails, post online, take a picture or even just walk around with our mobile phones ...
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Artist Talk : Wesley Goatley: Critical Data Aesthetics
In this talk, Wesley will discuss his work The Listener and explore how critical art and design practice can engage with the politics of data, ...
Saturday, 11 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : Mastering Your Mobile
Your phone is talking to you, and it is constantly generating and transmitting data to others. This workshop will open the box on your mobile ...
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Workshop : Algorithmic Disobedience with Surya Mattu
What does disobedience look like in systems of algorithmic decision-making? In this workshop, artist and engineer Surya Mattu will walk through some tactics and activities ...
Sunday, 12 November, 2017
TIME SESSION
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Workshop : De-Googlise Your Life
"One account. All of Google," is Google's tagline. But what does this mean for those of us who use Google search, Google Docs, Gmail, and ...
@SpyBlog presented a short lightning talk at the CryptoParty held at JuJu's Bar & Stage, 15 Hanbury Street, E1 6QR London
https://www.cryptoparty.in/london
As promised here is the slide deck:
Demonstration of Mobile Device WiFi Operational (In)Security.pptx
Unsurprisingly for the self confesses "I am not technical" former Home Secretary, Theresa May has used her Statement following the London Bridge
and Borough Market attacks, to renew her nonsense about alleged "Safe Spaces" for islamist extremism
on the Internet and at Home.
8 minutes video clip of Theresam May's statement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcRj5qNDOFg
PM statement following London terror attack: 4 June 2017
Last night, our country fell victim to a brutal terrorist attack once again. As a result I have just chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency committee and I want to update you with the latest information about the attack.Shortly before 10:10 yesterday evening, the Metropolitan Police received reports that a white van had struck pedestrians on London Bridge. It continued to drive from London Bridge to Borough Market, where 3 terrorists left the van and attacked innocent and unarmed civilians with blades and knives.
All 3 were wearing what appeared to be explosive vests, but the police have established that this clothing was fake and worn only to spread panic and fear.
As so often in such serious situations, the police responded with great courage and great speed. Armed officers from the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police arrived at Borough Market within moments, and shot and killed the 3 suspects. The terrorists were confronted and shot by armed officers within 8 minutes of the police receiving the first emergency call.
8 minutes is the length of Theresa May's statement. Ignore all the gun nuts who pretend that arming individual policemen would have killed the attackers any quicker.
Seven people have died as a result of the attack, in addition to the 3 suspects shot dead by the police. Forty-eight people are being treated in several hospitals across London. Many have life-threatening conditions.On behalf of the people of London, and on behalf of the whole country, I want to thank and pay tribute to the professionalism and bravery of the police and the emergency services - and the courage of members of the public who defended themselves and others from the attackers. And our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and with their friends, families and loved ones.
This is, as we all know, the third terrorist attack Britain has experienced in the last 3 months. In March, a similar attack took place, just around the corner on Westminster Bridge. Two weeks ago, the Manchester Arena was attacked by a suicide bomber. And now London has been struck once more.
And at the same time, the security and intelligence agencies and police have disrupted 5 credible plots since the Westminster attack in March.
In terms of their planning and execution, the recent attacks are not connected. But we believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face, as terrorism breeds terrorism, and perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully-constructed plots after years of planning and training - and not even as lone attackers radicalised online - but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack.
That must mean that the terrorist suspects have been identified between Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis Cressida Dick's statement earlier today that she
and Theresa May's statement, or is this just political licence with the facts ?
We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are. Things need to change, and they need to change in 4 important ways.First, while the recent attacks are not connected by common networks, they are connected in one important sense. They are bound together by the single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism that preaches hatred, sows division, and promotes sectarianism. It is an ideology that claims our Western values of freedom, democracy and human rights are incompatible with the religion of Islam. It is an ideology that is a perversion of Islam and a perversion of the truth.
Defeating this ideology is one of the great challenges of our time. But it cannot be defeated through military intervention alone. It will not be defeated through the maintenance of a permanent, defensive counter-terrorism operation, however skilful its leaders and practitioners. It will only be defeated when we turn people’s minds away from this violence - and make them understand that our values - pluralistic, British values - are superior to anything offered by the preachers and supporters of hate.
All very true, exactly what previous Prime Ministers e.g. Tony Blair have said time and time again
Second, we cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed. Yet that is precisely what the internet - and the big companies that provide internet-based services - provide. We need to work with allied, democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremism and terrorist planning. And we need to do everything we can at home to reduce the risks of extremism online.
We need Safe Spaces for Internet Free Speech and to do Digital Commerce, free from snooping by evil governments, corporations, criminals and terrorists.
Trying to clamp down on foreign internet companies providing End To End Encrypted services wil not stop terrorist extremists from recruiting or planning. It will destroy Freedom of Speech and the UK Digital Economy, which needs all the help it can get to survive the #Brexit disaster.
Is the UK Government really willing to hand over intelligence watchlists of terrorist sympathiser unconvicted *suspects* to foreign internet companies like FaceBook or Twitter so that they can pro-actively censor their social media ?
That seems unlikely.
Third, while we need to deprive the extremists of their safe spaces online, we must not forget about the safe spaces that continue to exist in the real world. Yes, that means taking military action to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. But it also means taking action here at home. While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is - to be frank - far too much tolerance of extremism in our country.So we need to become far more robust in identifying it and stamping it out - across the public sector and across society. That will require some difficult and often embarrassing conversations, but the whole of our country needs to come together to take on this extremism - and we need to live our lives not in a series of separated, segregated communities but as one truly United Kingdom.
Where exactly are these mythical "Safe Spaces" for islamist extremism in the Public Sector or in British Society ??
What precisely does she mean by "embarassing conversations", with whom ?
Fourth, we have a robust counter-terrorism strategy that has proved successful over many years. But as the nature of the threat we face becomes more complex, more fragmented, more hidden, especially online, the strategy needs to keep up. So in light of what we are learning about the changing threat, we need to review Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy to make sure the police and security services have all the powers they need.
We already have the most intrusive anti-terrorism legal powers in the world, including all encompassing Thought Crime laws, what more can they actually enforce properly ?
And if we need to increase the length of custodial sentences for terrorism-related offences, even apparently less serious offences, that is what we will do.
If there is little or no difference in the penalty for "serious" and "less serious" crimes, this will make it easier for terrorist recruiters to convert peripheral supporters into active terrorist atttackers - "in for a penny, in for a pound".
Again, this all sounds tediously familiar, just like previous Tory and labour governemts e.g. Tony Blair's ratcheting up of repressive terrorism laws.
Will the excerable Jeremy Corbyn and the current Labour control freaks also support this ?
Since the emergence of the threat from Islamist-inspired terrorism, our country has made significant progress in disrupting plots and protecting the public. But it is time to say enough is enough. Everybody needs to go about their lives as they normally would. Our society should continue to function in accordance with our values. But when it comes to taking on extremism and terrorism, things need to change.As a mark of respect the 2 political parties have suspended our national campaigns for today. But violence can never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process. So those campaigns will resume in full tomorrow. And the general election will go ahead as planned on Thursday.
How is standing outside 10 Downing Street with maximum media coverage, announcing new policies, "suspending campaigning" ??
Few people will believe that this is a genuine mark of respect, it is more likely an excuse for the politicians (in all political parties)
to avoid embarassing questions about their failed / lack of coherent policies regarding terrorism.
Allowing the terrorists to disrupt the General Election in any way, is a victory for the the ideology that the Prime Minister so rightly condemned above.
As a country, our response must be as it has always been when we have been confronted by violence. We must come together, we must pull together, and united we will take on and defeat our enemies.
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