There was a small ripple around the internet this morning caused by the Home office opening up the Beta terrorist reporting tool.
To what extent the reports from this tool are monitored is unclear, but I suspect this will cause more problems that it solves.
Even before we consider the rather broad definition the government has for illegal material (which on the face of it could cover a number of science and religious texts), I can see the tool quickly becoming buried under false positives – whether through over sensitive citizens or through plain vindictiveness – which would need to be investigated.
Even if no further action is taken after the investigation, the cost in both time and resources must surely represent a significant risk that things that are actually a threat will be missed.
Tomorrow, those of you who are coming down the night before are welcome to join us in the Gardener’s Arms from about 7pm for food, beers and a bit of socialising… look out for the group with Barcamp Transparency posters (thanks Ben Werdmuller for designing those!).
Don’t forget to @mapkyca on Twitter if you get lost!
I am also delighted to announce that Google has agreed to be the main sponsor for the event and will be covering the cost of the venue for us! Big thanks to all at Google and our other sponsors for making this event possible!
I am pleased to announce that the Barcamp Transparency UK sponsorship pack is now available! Many thanks to @sylwiapresley for putting this together!
Please help by spreading the word as much as you can, and if you represent an organisation that is interested in sponsoring us for any amount then don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Technology Strategist, Organiser of Barcamp Transparency, formerly the Senior Architect working on the Elgg social networking framework.
I have been involved in software development for many years and provide a range of consultancy services around social software, system architecture and the development process.
