Submission + - Complain about a watchlist? Go on a watchlist! (metro.co.uk)
Shakes Fist writes: "Social media posts criticising government policy are being monitored and investigated by officials, Metro can reveal.
Negative X and Reddit posts from unsuspecting Brits attacking the UKâ(TM)s anti-terror programme Prevent were added to a database of critical online comments.
Metro has obtained a list of nearly 80 critical posts found and logged by the Standards and Compliance Unit (StaCU), which oversees Prevent, between March 2024 and February 2025.
One campaign group whose tweet was recorded in the database said the revelations raised âserious questions about freedom of expression and the right to dissent and protestâ(TM) in the UK."
âoeIt is deeply concerning to see the Prevent duty being used to enable the monitoring of people and organisations simply because they are critical of the programme. That raises serious questions about freedom of expression and the right to dissent and protest.â
We denounce the âoetroubling lack of transparency about what happens to the information gathered through this social media monitoring [by the Standards and Compliance Unit]: how long it is retained, who it is shared with, and ultimately what the government is using it for.â
Weâ(TM)re clear that âoePrevent has expanded far beyond its stated aim of identifying people considered âoevulnerable to radicalisationâ, and has increasingly been used to justify extensive surveillance.â
Criticising the programme for its many faults shouldnâ(TM)t lead to getting put on a database.
ðY' Sarah Lasoye for ORG.
Negative X and Reddit posts from unsuspecting Brits attacking the UKâ(TM)s anti-terror programme Prevent were added to a database of critical online comments.
Metro has obtained a list of nearly 80 critical posts found and logged by the Standards and Compliance Unit (StaCU), which oversees Prevent, between March 2024 and February 2025.
One campaign group whose tweet was recorded in the database said the revelations raised âserious questions about freedom of expression and the right to dissent and protestâ(TM) in the UK."
âoeIt is deeply concerning to see the Prevent duty being used to enable the monitoring of people and organisations simply because they are critical of the programme. That raises serious questions about freedom of expression and the right to dissent and protest.â
We denounce the âoetroubling lack of transparency about what happens to the information gathered through this social media monitoring [by the Standards and Compliance Unit]: how long it is retained, who it is shared with, and ultimately what the government is using it for.â
Weâ(TM)re clear that âoePrevent has expanded far beyond its stated aim of identifying people considered âoevulnerable to radicalisationâ, and has increasingly been used to justify extensive surveillance.â
Criticising the programme for its many faults shouldnâ(TM)t lead to getting put on a database.
ðY' Sarah Lasoye for ORG.
