Innocent until proven guilty apparently. http://www.zdnet.com/article/snoopers-charter-expansive-new-spying-powers-becomes-law/ Storing this data obviously comes at a cost. So not only are you treated like a criminal, you're paying more for internet access. It's a win-win Seriously, though, fuck the government.
If the cops can't get into your iphone after they've shot you and you've double purged your laptop of incriminating info you have to expect that they're going to find other ways to get what they want. In a Utopian world, we wouldn't need it because none of us would have anything to fear from "Big Brother" being able to learn all about us. Hopefully that remains the case for those of us who tread the middle ground and have socially acceptable lifestyles. In the meantime we have terrorist activity happening in our countries - the UK definitely, Australia to a much lesser extent and I'd be completely naive to think it there isn't a problem in NZ. We expect the cops and related agencies to "know what's going on" and sometimes that knowledge has to come at a price. Would we rather lose some perceived liberty now, or lives and our way of life later?
Sarah there's nothing you can do about lone wolf terrorist attacks. It is what it is. But let's not pretend any of this stuff is helping fight terrorism. Privacy is a human right.
I imagine that with the right information we could do a lot about them - but it would rely on a variety of agencies working together and achieving that is like herding cats. I value my privacy, but I'm not sure it's a human right as much as a luxury claimed by those who live in certain countries. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs probably warrants revision but I'm pretty sure privacy would be higher up than safety.
I am a big believer of individual liberty and freedom; the right to privacy is a big part of that, of course. However, every time there is a major terrorist attack, I have to re-evaluate my position on privacy. I understand that it is a slippery slope to give up privacy for assumed security and I also realize that not all of the information seekers are only interested in thwarting terrorism (look at how Obama totally corrupted the IRS which holds Americans most private and sensitive information, for example) so it is a difficult and scary issue. The most reasonable solution seems to be to give law enforcement the tools they claim that they need but to have an independent oversight agency closely monitor them to be sure that they are using the data as expected.
Political correctness is the cause of all that silliness, especially here in the US (and I assume in Europe too). There are countries that don't give a damn about what the rest of the world thinks and profile everyone (Russia, the Netherlands, Israel). This nansy-pansy generation is so screwed in their heads, if left to their own devices they will become the cause of their own demise. I remember going through Schiphol a few years back. They profiled. They profiled like mad. They profiled me. And I felt totally safe flying their airlines. I honestly don't care if someone reads my emails or listens to my phone conversations. If it's done so that they could catch bad guys - so be it. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Safety is more important, in my book, than some nansy-pansy sense of privacy.