# Theresa May wants help from Google et al to spy on her citizens **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 4, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125 "2017-06-04T20:17:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/1 "2017-06-04T20:17:02Z")
> **[Theresa May says the internet must now be regulated following London Bridge...](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-internet-regulated-london-bridge-terror-attack-google-facebook-whatsapp-borough-security-latest-a7771896.html)** > > The Prime Minister said terrorists had ‘safe spaces’ online "The intervention comes after the introduction of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 – dubbed the “Snooper’s Charter” – which expands the powers of spying agencies and the Government over the internet. **The Act, championed by Ms May, requires internet service providers to maintain a list of visited websites for all internet users for a year and gives intelligence agencies more powers to intercept online communications. Police can access the stored browsing history without any warrant or court order.**" That’s scary as hell. … and Brits are so used to big daddy government, I am sure it will become law. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/2 "2017-06-04T20:44:29Z")
And where is Google mentioned in the article? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/3 "2017-06-04T20:50:57Z")
Google is [not an ISP](http://realbusiness.co.uk/real-business-broadband/2016/10/28/british-google-fiber-still-only-dream/) in the UK. [Google Fiber](https://fiber.google.com/about/b/?utm_expid=70049378-49.5jY2c5_dRy2vddeEhKGH6w.2) is only in selected cities in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/4 "2017-06-04T20:55:43Z")
Would it make you feel better to know the citizens they’re going to spy on will be Muslims? I mean, “Radical Islamic Terrorists”? ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/5 "2017-06-04T21:09:10Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Would it make you feel better to know the citizens they’re going to spy on will be Muslims? I mean, “Radical Islamic Terrorists”? The citizens they’re going to spy on will be the whole population of UK. If they wanted to spy on “Radical Islamic Terrorists” they could obtain warrants to do so. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/6 "2017-06-04T22:10:25Z")
From what I understand there is a consensus, perhaps European in scale, to make very profit orientated US companies like YouTube and Facebook accountable for facilitating terrorism. That would be a very satisfying start fro very many. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/7 "2017-06-04T23:41:16Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > From what I understand there is a consensus, perhaps European in scale, to make very profit orientated US companies like YouTube and Facebook accountable for facilitating terrorism. > > That would be a very satisfying start fro very many. Maybe go after knife manufacturers as well, for facilitating terrorism. And van/truck manufacturers as well. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/8 "2017-06-05T02:43:21Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > The citizens they’re going to spy on will be the whole population of UK. If they wanted to spy on “Radical Islamic Terrorists” they could obtain warrants to do so. Maybe that’s the way to sell the program, but I’d be astonished if Muslims ended up being the primary targets. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/9 "2017-06-05T03:01:26Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > … and Brits are so used to big daddy government, I am sure it will become law. You are aware big granddaddy government in America pays GCHQ via the NSA to spy on American citizens to circumvent supposed restrictions, and no doubt uses other country’s spy services also ? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/10 "2017-06-05T17:30:50Z")
May is following the ancient political dictum: We must blame _them_ and cause a fuss Before somebody thinks of blaming _us_! ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theresa-may-wants-help-from-google-et-al-to-spy-on-her-citizens/788125/11 "2017-06-05T23:49:13Z")
I knew it, the moment I saw that the security services failed to act in, was it nine?, direct leads on the Manchester bomber that their reaction would be to increase their surveillance powers over the entire population. Because _obviously_ when the problem is that your net is full of holes the solution is not to fix the holes but to make the net bigger.