Spy Review

Over the last few days an interesting development has been headlining the news in the UK. An MP (member of Parliament) had his conversation with a terror suspect awaiting deportation to the US, bugged.

The conversation between Babar Ahmed, a computer expert who is accused of raising money for the Taleban, and his MP, Sadiq Khan, was bugged on the orders of the Met Police. It has come to light the device was hidden in hollowed table in a visitation area.

Basically, the uproar has been about whether it was right for an MP, a person elected by the public, should be bugged.

Although I think it was wrong to bug their conversation because the suspect is already in prison (but bugging happens quite often in the prison system, especially phone conversations), though, at least in theory, the suspect could pass on vital information (this is possibly the line of thinking the police were taking when deciding to bug the conversation), but at the same time, I find deplorable that an MP cannot have his or her conversation bugged, but it is OK to have it done to a general member of the British public. Surely, this law needs to be looked into; why should an MP be afforded special exemptions just because they are elected members of Parliament?

You also have to remember the suspect and the MP have been friends since childhood. I know that alone does not justify their conversation being bugged, but this is quite a special case where the suspect, Babar Ahmed, is accused of some serious offences regarding terror activities, the police may have had some fears based on the fact that these two men had known each for a long time and were pretty close friends.

Having said that, if the MP had not been a Muslim, would the conversation have been bugged? I suspect not. But considering these two men have known each other pretty much all their lives, I guess there was some sort of justification.

Another of my concerns is that there are now more and more public bodies being granted upon request the authority to bug people. I think its OK for the police to have the right to bug where they feel it necessary, I would restrict it to the police and its affiliated bodies such as the secret service. Having said that, this blog reviews and talks about bugging products and techniques, but I guess we are reviewing the methods and not necessarily encouraging it. Also, it must be remembered a lot of us do it for fun and there are no serious issues involved.

But there is a serious case of having civil liberties been encroached upon if too many organisations are given this right.

In your view, was the MP right to be bugged?