Barnet Council Scandal : Metpro update - Who else is spying?

I have today submitted the following FOI request to Barnet Council.

----- Original Message -----

From: Roger Tichborne

To: Freedom of Information Act

Cc: John Burgess ; vickimorris@btinternet.com ;Adam Langelben; Hillan, Cllr Lynne Conservative ; cllr.a.moore@barnet.gov.uk ; Cohen, Cllr Jack Liberal Democrat ; Nick.Walkley@barnet.gov.uk ; Harper, Cllr Andrew Conservative

Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2011 11:21 AM

Subject: FOI - request

Dated 9th April 2011

 

Dear Barnet Council,

 

Please provide details of all external contractors involved in the following activities on behalf of Barnet Council.

 

1) Filming residents/employees/councillors without their permission

2) Recording residents without their permission

3) performing any other covert survelliance of residents

4) Monitoring personal blogs/twitter/facebook pages on the internet

 

To minimise cost, please provide details from April 2010.

 

Please summarise the cost to the taxpayer of Barnet for these services.

 

Please specify which senior officers and councillors accessed to this information.

 

Please specify who signed off the contract at Barnet for the provision of these services and when this contract was signed.

 

Regards

 

Roger Tichborne

 David Miller (AKA retired/resting blogger Don't Call Me Dave) submitted a whole string of FOI requests regarding activities conducted under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) act. As I recall, Barnet Council stated that they were not covertly filming anyone. It is abundantly clear from the Metpro scandal that people have been covertly filmed by contractors working for Barnet Council. The question which no one else has asked is this - Who else is spying on us for Barnet Council?


As several Barnet bloggers have experienced all sorts of odd activities on their IT equipment this week, I also submitted this FOI request

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Roger Tichborne

To: Freedom of Information Act

Cc: John Burgess ; vickimorris@btinternet.com ; Adam Langleben ; Hillan, Cllr Lynne Conservative ; cllr.a.moore@barnet.gov.uk ; Cohen, Cllr Jack Liberal Democrat ; Nick.Walkley@barnet.gov.uk ; Harper, Cllr Andrew Conservative

Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2011 11:37 AM

Subject: Re: FOI - request

Dated 9th April 2011

 

Dear Barnet Council,

 

 

Please provide all details of Council employees or contractors working on behalf of Barnet Council employed in the following activities :-

 

1) Electronic hacking activities (ie accessing the IT equipment of third parties without their permission)

 

2) All council emails regarding hacking activitites, either of Barnet Council computers or of other computers where Barnet Council has been involved

 

3) Any details of third party IT specialist engaged by Barnet Council who have been involved in the disruption of third party IT equipment

 

4) Details of any phone tapping activities undertaken by Barnet Council

 

5) Details of which Council Officers and Councillors were aware of this activity and who had access to any information derived from it.

 

To limit costs please limit the enquiry for the period from 1st January 2010 to present.

 

Regards

Roger Tichborne

It should be interesting to see what the responses are (if we ever get them).