This might be controversial, but as a Brit I fear surveillance of the British government far more than a foreign adversary like China. I totally understand why from a national security perspective we don't want that, but in the UK people get arrested for saying mean things about the government, footballers and Meghan Markle.
China doesn't pose a direct threat to my safety or the safety of my love ones, but the government does.
The right to privacy is important because it protects individuals from unfair treatment from all governments. This obviously means that some crimes are harder to solve and in grant that in some cases there is a line to draw. However, in this case the reasoning for eroding privacy doesn't seem legitimate.
For example, the protect the children justification for this is literally absurd when you consider over the last few decades tens of thousands of British children have been groomed and raped in the open and while the police was fully aware. This just wouldn't be the priority if you were genuinely concerned about sexual crimes against children.
China doesn't pose a direct threat to my safety or the safety of my love ones, but the government does.
The right to privacy is important because it protects individuals from unfair treatment from all governments. This obviously means that some crimes are harder to solve and in grant that in some cases there is a line to draw. However, in this case the reasoning for eroding privacy doesn't seem legitimate.
For example, the protect the children justification for this is literally absurd when you consider over the last few decades tens of thousands of British children have been groomed and raped in the open and while the police was fully aware. This just wouldn't be the priority if you were genuinely concerned about sexual crimes against children.