Protect Our Privacy

Aim

Liberty is raising funds to fight back against the encroaching mass surveillance culture in the UK.

We are witnessing a dangerous – and often highly secretive – increase in surveillance of the UK population.  

We refuse to sleepwalk into a surveillance state. 

Donate now to protect your right to privacy.

• Facial recognition technology

Police forces up and down the country are using powerful face-scanning technology that enables them to identify and track any one of us – often without our knowledge. There is no clear law covering this tech and police forces are making up the rules as they go along. We urgently need safeguards to protect us as we go about our daily lives. 

• Digital ID cards 

The Government has announced a compulsory national digital ID scheme. Alongside real concerns about such a system excluding marginalised people and anyone who is less digitally literate, a centralised government identity database would create a massive security and privacy risk for our most sensitive data while handing sweeping surveillance powers to the Home Office. The Government needs to be able to create this system safely – and the history of their digital projects shows they have a long way to go. 

• End-to-end encryption

The Government ordered Apple to allow access to potentially millions of people's personal data stored on iCloud, a move which drew attention to laws that allow these secretive and potentially unlawful orders to be made. It’s impossible to break encryption for just one purpose. Once there’s a “back door” anyone with the knowhow can enter, including foreign governments and hackers, putting the safety of everyone’s data at risk. The order must be withdrawn and the law that allowed it to be made in the first place should be scrapped.

THIS IS AN EMERGENCY 

This is not a distant threat; it’s happening right now. The direction of travel in the UK is unmistakable. We need to ensure that we are equipped to stand up to power and apply pressure on the Government to respect our right to privacy and protect the rights of everyone in the UK, as they were elected to do. 

Liberty has stood at the forefront of this fight for decades. Our previous legal actions have already forced the previous government to rein in unlawful spying powers and won historic victories in the European Court of Human Rights. But the battle is far from over. The increasing use of new technologies gives authorities unprecedented power to collect and analyse our personal data. And ordinary people are left exposed. 

HOW WE FIGHT BACK 

• Make our case to Government - demanding that the Government implements safeguards around the use of facial recognition technology and the proposed national ID card system in the UK.  
• Uncover injustice and hold the powerful to account with our in-depth investigations and ground-breaking research. 
• Take legal action against the government or authorities when we see misuses of power. 
• Produce detailed guidance in print, online and in workshops to give people the tools and information to know their rights and the power they need to resist these threats to our right to privacy. 

That’s what Liberty is here for. Together with your support, we challenge injustice in the courts, hold politicians to account, and campaign for a society where everyone’s rights are respected. The road ahead is difficult, but we are working hard to defend the rights and freedoms of all in the UK, in the face of opposition. In our 90-year history we’ve done it before, and with your help we can do it again.  

But this work takes time and money. Here’s how your donation could help: 

• £20 could help us scope and initiate legal action on ground-breaking surveillance/tech issues   
•  £30, could help produce a written briefing for MPs and Peers on the dangers of facial recognition technology,  
• £50 could help us hold an in-person event in Parliament to build support for our campaign. 
• £1,000 could fund an entire complex investigation - covering costs including travel, legal reviews, and the dedicated work of a small team to expose injustice. 

The Government is moving fast. We must move faster. Every single donation, of any size, helps to resist the encroaching surveillance culture in the UK and the threats to our rights – donate now and help us win this fight.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made