UK TA2000 Sect. 12: "facilitating terrorist meetings" | Privacy consulting? Newsgroups? Privacy providers?

[Aimee Farr]

Sect 12 Support Offense -- "facilitating meetings." Snip below.

Also see fundraising, money laundering, etc. where all it takes is
"reasonable cause to suspect" ....a negligence standard? This act seems to
mark the advent of "terrorist due diligence." I know many of you offer
paid/pro-bono "privacy"/TSCM consulting, or are providers of some sort that
could be viewed as enabling "designated" terrorist groups. Irrespective of
this specific act, I find this is a disturbing train of regulatory thought.

[LINKS]
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/8/17073.html (Article suggests
Newsgroups & ISPs)
Protest site: http://www.blagged.freeserve.co.uk/ta2000/index.htm
Act: http://www.blagged.freeserve.co.uk/ta2000/fhome.htm

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12. - (1) A person commits an offence if-
=========================================

  (a) he invites support for a proscribed organisation, and
  (b) the support is not, or is not restricted to, the provision of money or
other property (within the meaning of section 15).
      (2) A person commits an offence if he arranges, manages or assists in
arranging or managing a meeting which he knows is-

  (a) to support a proscribed organisation,
  (b) to further the activities of a proscribed organisation, or
  (c) to be addressed by a person who belongs or professes to belong to a
proscribed organisation.
      (3) A person commits an offence if he addresses a meeting and the
purpose of his address is to encourage support for a proscribed organisation
or to further its activities.

      (4) Where a person is charged with an offence under subsection (2)(c)
in respect of a private meeting it is a defence for him to prove that he had
no reasonable cause to believe that the address mentioned in subsection
(2)(c) would support a proscribed organisation or further its activities.

      (5) In subsections (2) to (4)-

  (a) "meeting" means a meeting of three or more persons, whether or not the
public are admitted, and
  (b) a meeting is private if the public are not admitted.
      (6) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable-

  (a) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding
ten years, to a fine or to both, or
  (b) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six
months, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or to both.
Uniform.
<snip> ) Crown Copyright 2000


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