BCS Birmingham Branch – Investigatory Powers Act

Cost:
Free and open to all.
Bookings after 5 March 2017 are not guaranteed for the buffet.

Details:

In December 2016 the Investigatory Powers Act or Snoopers’ Charter became law. In response, the US whistleblower Edward Snowden tweeted: “The UK has just legalised the most extreme surveillance in the history of western democracy. It goes further than many autocracies.” But what powers does the Investigatory Powers Act actually grant UK authorities and how concerned should you be? This talk will go beyond the headlines to provide you with a practical understanding of the sweeping surveillance powers covered by the act, their impact on our rights to privacy and freedom of expression and the risks the Act poses to the UK’s technology sector.

About the Speaker, Francis Clarke:

In 2015, I established Open Rights Group Birmingham, a local branch of the Open Rights Group, the UK’s only digital campaigning organisation working to protect the rights to privacy and free speech online. We hold regular talks and practical workshops on a range of issues, including surveillance, encryption and copyright reform. We aim to give people the knowledge and skills to protect their own rights online and the motivation to campaign for laws which respect our human rights and civil liberties. You can follow Open Rights Group Birmingham on Twitter @OpenRightsBrum and via our blog, https://openrightsgroupbirmingham.wordpress.com/.

By day, I run my own small business, OpenUp Digital, where I help people get the most out of digital communications. Services include digital skills and confidence training, communications and marketing strategy and WordPress website design. You can find out more at https://openupdigital.com/ and follow me on Twitter @francisclarke.

Closing date for bookings is Sunday 12 March 2017 at 11:59 pm. No more bookings will be taken after this date.
For overseas delegates who wish to attend the event please note that BCS do not issue invitation letters.