Tag Archives: RIPA

LEAKED DOCUMENTS: SEND PARENT SPY MATERIAL REVEALED

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Why has Bristol City Council’s External Comms Team been supplying wedding photos of SEND parents to Education Director, Alison “Pervy” Hurley? Is this normal?

We told you so. Now here’s the evidence. Bristol City Council’s SEND department has been systematically spying on SEND parents on the internet and social media. Then collating and cataloguing the results and sharing them with senior Bristol City Council education managers, including that useless oaf and third class human being, Education Director, Alison “Pervy” Hurley, as well as various third party organisations. Who the fuck are these people? Bristol’s own Stasi?

The first document we can reveal is an email to Hurley and her freakish gang of unethical education bosses outlining the people spied on and the methods deployed to gather the information. A table of information and PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHS of the parents in question were attached to this email.

SEND email-1

Of particular note is the comment at point 2 in the email ” … External Comms deduced this is XX as image is the same as wedding photos on XX’s personal Facebook site. Attached”

Yes, you read that right. Members of BCC’s creepy External Communications team, paid to communicate with the press and public, have been hunting through SEND parents’ personal photo collections on Facebook, downloading highly personal pictures (wedding photos FFS!) and sharing them with grateful Council House bosses.

Has Hurley now got wedding photos of SEND parents with large pins stuck in them all over her attic? Or is she up to something really weird and kinky with them?

We’re reliably informed that external comms staff would have had to search for the wedding photo in question. It wasn’t a Facebook profile photo in front of them. It was buried in the user’s photo folder with lots of other personal items.

Leaving aside that this is likely unlawful as it would classify as covert surveillance, it is also vile, anti-social behaviour and a wholly unacceptable way to be treating members of the public who pay your wages. All those responsible should be hanging their heads in shame and considering their positions.

Did no one involved in this think that the material they were accessing was way too personal and intrusive and complain to their bosses that the work was demeaning? What’s wrong with them? Would they want their wedding photos and details of their personal lives collected and randomly circulated, without their knowledge or agreement, to Hurley and her freakshow of Council House bosses to use for god knows what?

The Head of External Comms is, of course, The Reverend’s disgraced personal PR bully Saskia “Hindley” Konynenburg. When not bullying local journalists, it seems this unbalanced individual spends council time secretly rifling through strangers’ personal photo collections on Facebook and gleefully sharing the contents with her colleagues. Lovely stuff. What a wonderful person and exceptional public servant.

The second document is a table listing some harmless social media comments, mainly from just two SEND parents. A further three parents are also identified in the document as “critical commenters”. A number of local SEND campaigning groups are also thrown in and named and shamed for Hurley’s benefit.

The table was circulated to the Hurley education freakshow and to third party organisations. This type of surveillance and sharing of people’s social media activity is unlikely to be lawful. But, again, the critical issue is as much one of basic taste and sensibility.

What the fuck do these Council House freaks think they’re doing with our personal information and why?

SEND FB comments-1
SEND FB comments-2
SEND FB comments-3
SEND FB comments-4

There is a statement on this matter from the Bristol City Council and a response from the Bristol Parent Carer Forum here.

THE HURLEY BURLY’S DONE

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Spy

It’s farewell, then, to Alison Hurley “Burley” Bristol City Council’s Director for Education and Skills, responsible for SEND in Bristol. Alison arrived at the back end of 2019 and departs with zero improvement in SEND and an expanded bank account. What was the point?

As Alison scarpers, a persistent rumour follows her out of the door. Namely that her department has been collecting information about some SEND parents and activists
from the internet and social media. This information has then been shared with council officers and others.

Let’s hope this is an unfounded rumour as such covert surveillance of parents is unlawful! Covert surveillance by councils requires authorisation under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). And, since The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, local authorities can’t authorise the use of RIPA. Instead it requires a magistrate’s approval.

RIPA states that council’s can only collect and record information for ‘the purpose of
preventing or detecting crime or of preventing disorder’ and other narrow reasons
such as ‘in the interests of national security’. How does this apply to parents moaning
about the council on social media?

Moreover, the ‘Covert Surveillance and Property Interference Revised Code of Practice
2018′ says, “If the study of an individual’s online presence becomes persistent, or where material obtained from any check is to be extracted and recorded and may engage privacy considerations, RIPA authorisations may need to be considered.”

But, if you can only get RIPA authorisation for ‘the purpose of preventing or detecting
crime or of preventing disorder’ and Ms Hurley has allowed personal information from parents to be studied, extracted, recorded and distributed, she has probably broken the law.

Well done for protecting SEND parents’ basic freedoms Alison, you revolting Nazi arsehole.

I SPY BENT COUNCIL BOSSES

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News is emerging that paranoid loons Mayor No More Ferguson, his Chief Exec – the revolting Nicola “Lady Gaga” Yates – and their Business Change buffoon Max Wide “Boy” set up an ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE and SPY NETWORK across the council to snoop on staff and, possibly, others. The system may have even have been used to spy on elected representatives.

A low-key council report tells us that in 2015, Wide Boy, the Strategic Director for Business Change, took the decision to introduce a DLP (Data Loss Prevention) system to the council. This was after a series of what Wide Boy paranoically described as “UNAUTHORISED LEAKAGES of information outside of the Council”.

Wide Boy identified a DLP system that could track ‘tagged’ documents on computers and record the movement of emails. He then SECRETLY DEPLOYED it on some – as yet – unknown computers at the council and, maybe, beyond. We understand “particular groups” were targeted based on “the level of sensitive data they could access”.

Following the TOP SECRET installation of the DLP, a member of staff complained. Their representations included claims that Wide Boy’s spy network was ILLEGAL because the system was deployed IN SECRET without the targets’ knowledge.

The original allegations were investigated by the council’s Data Protection Officer at the time and she recommended a further review, which is now complete. The new review concludes that data protection LAW WAS BROKEN because “the implementation of the system was not open and not communicated to those affected”.

So-say “SWIFT CORRECTIVE ACTION” has now been taken and a decision taken to ‘switch off’ and uninstall the system while all data collected by the system “has been/will be (sic) deleted”.

However, questions around ABUSE of RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) laws by Wide Boy and Lady Gaga – who were supposed to use and regulate these powers for the council – appear to have been glossed over. As has the question of whether council bosses SPIED on elected councillors, partner organisations or members of the public.

Presumably this is so that the involvement of Inspector Knacker and m’learned friends is NOT REQUIRED?

Yet.

#walrustrial: MORE BENT ASBOs!

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Remember, in December, the council’s useless social housing boss, posh twit NICK “DROOPER” HOOPER, threatening two Avonmouth residents with an ASBO because they hand-delivered a letter to his Conservative Party friend WAYNE “DEE” HARVEY, Avonmouth councillor and well paid Merchant Venturer lackey and useful idiot at the Port of Bristol?

When the Avonmouth pair started querying Drooper about the LEGALITY of his bizarre threats and the exact source of his POWERS to issue an ASBO when he feels like it, Drooper bravely ran away and ignored them. A bit like a little child running away to their bedroom to hide under the covers when they’re asked to explain why their hand’s, once again, in the cookie jar.

Refusing to be deterred by an IDIOT council boss doing a runner and refusing to explain his actions or answer simple questions, one resident decided to formally complain to the council about Drooper’s deranged conduct.

The complaint suggested that Drooper had BREACHED natural justice,  the European Convention on Human Rights and RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) laws for investigation of citizens as well as the council’s own policies on investigations.

The complaint also highlighted that Drooper, a politically restricted senior manager, appeared BIASED towards a member of the Conservative Party and against other election candidates in Avonmouth.

What other explanation is there for Drooper’s CRAZED MISSIVE that functions entirely outside of the basic principles of British law? In fact, Drooper appears to function outside the principles of any democratic system of justice anywhere in the world.

What type of regime would allow an unelected middle management bureaucrat to dispense justice on the basis of ONE secret verbal claim, NO investigation, NO right of reply, NO right of representation and NO right of appeal? This is worse than bloody China.

The complaint was sent in by STEVE NORMAN (yes, him again!) on 23 December and a response was promised by 14 January.

But lo and behold! Here we are on 23 January and the council is UNABLE to formulate any kind of response – not even a simple holding letter – to the complaint. They also appear unable to explain when they will respond or, even, who is dealing with the complaint.

Clearly there’s something extremely ROTTEN in Bristol City Council and among its officers in their use of ASBOs and RIPA laws towards certain citizens, especially when it directly benefits councillors.

Perhaps it’s time an independent body was hauled in to see what these officers and councillors have been up to and review how ASBOs and the RIPA are being used by our council?