The White Papers

Abstract

This chapter examines the two white papers on computers published in 1975. The drafts of these papers set out to protect the people’s privacy but these were watered down by a united officialdom defending the government’s data and determined that, though they might have to allow some oversight of government computers, the government’s paper-based files would be protected against monitoring. This discussion of these white papers details the fundamental dishonesty of much of their contents. The government set up a new committee, under Norman Lindop, to prepare for a Data Protection Authority. This chapter shows how, by the time its report was published, in 1978, it was irrelevant due to the accession of Jim Callaghan as prime minister and Merlyn Rees as home secretary.