Big Brother Watch lifts lid on secretive government lockdown surveillance

A new report published by the civil liberties and privacy campaigning group, Big Brother Watch, has revealed the extent of covert surveillance activities carried out on the British public during the pandemic. The report: Ministry of Truth found secretive Whitehall units were recording political dissent on social media under the pretext of tackling misinformation. So-called anti-fake news units in the Cabinet Office and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport monitored social media for political dissent, targeting politicians, academics, activists, journalists and members of the public. The government units were supported by The British Army's 77th Brigade, a specialist division for conducting information warfare. A whistleblower from the 77th Brigade came forward with information to support the investigation. 

Silkie Carlo, Director at Big Brother Watch, said "This is an alarming case of mission creep, where public money and even military power have been misused to monitor academics, journalists, campaigners and members of parliament who criticised the government, particularly during the pandemic. The fact that this political monitoring happened under the guise of 'countering misinformation' highlights how, absent serious safeguards, the concept of 'wrong information' is open to abuse and has become a blank cheque the government uses in attempt to control narratives online. Contrary to their stated aims, these government truth units are secretive and harmful to our democracy. The Counter Disinformation Unit should be suspended immediately and subject to a full investigation."