ABSTRACT
The problems, however, start to arise when the state increasingly intrudes into a citizen’s privacy. If, in the view of the state, there exists ‘the spectre of global terrorist networks, perpetrating outrages beyond our wildest fears’, combined with ‘an explosion in communications…offering to a deadly minority greater ability to work across national borders and outfox national security and policing forces’ (David Blunkett, ‘Civic rights’, in ‘Big Brother’, The Guardian, September 2002), this may be used to justify new laws on the grounds that they are necessary to prevent crime. As has been seen, this may further compromise a citizen’s right to privacy. The fact that the Terrorism Act 2000 and the ATCSA 2001 have been introduced shows how easily a citizen’s rights and civil liberties can be removed in the name of responsible government.
