Whatsapp chat arrests and sieges on Quaker meetings, it’s easy to feel like we’re already living in Black Mirror, writes Rebecca Vincent in today’s Notebook

Are we living in an episode of Black Mirror?

Anyone would be forgiven for thinking some of the headlines in British newspapers in recent weeks were better suited to science fiction than real life, each story more outrageous than the last.

In a particularly shocking development, last week an investigation by Statewatch exposed a murder prediction tool secretly being developed by the government. Under the framework of its so-called “Homicide Prevention Project”, the Ministry of Justice is reported to be using police and government data to develop profiles with the aim of “predicting” who is “at risk” of committing murder. Dystopian doesn’t even begin to cover it – as we have said at Big Brother Watch, the government must not be allowed to use pervasive technology to target innocent people. This dangerous programme should be immediately scrapped and should never see the light of day.

Also worrying are........

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