There’s been a bit of a flutter about the latest Investigatory Powers Act.  It means we will no longer be a free country – but one where any part of the government can look at our private computers and see what we’ve been looking at.

And that’s ANY part of the government – including the Job Centre, the Land Registry, the Police, the Ministry of Defence, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Food Standards Agency, the Gambling Commission – and so on.

Our browsing history will be an open book – even if we delete it.

OK – there are cases where it protects people.  If the police can investigate suspected paedophiles that’s probably a good thing, but when the British Board of Film Classification is begin given the power to regulate the internet (in the UK) – that means that they can prevent you seeing anything they don’t agree with.  It’s a bit like parental guidance – for everyone.

What if the system gets hacked?  If access to all our information is now through one central location it’s going to make it easy for hackers to hack the whole country – not just individual systems.

Someone like Mr Trump will be able to use these powers – and that might make you very uncomfortable, especially as he’s BFF with Mr Putin!

As most people spend a large part of their time online it looks like Animal Farm and V for Vendetta are coming true.  Life imitating Art!  The government is watching everything you do.