‘Phantom Parrot’ Examines U.K.’s Intrusive Data-Collecting Policy Targeting Activists, Journalists
variety.comEd Meza @edmezavar Among the treasure trove of damning government documents leaked by Edward Snowden in 2013 that exposed the NSA’s vast surveillance activities was one that detailed a secret U.K.
program known as Phantom Parrot. It allows authorities to stop people entering the country in order to download their personal data from their phones and other electronic devices, even without their knowledge.
It’s also the title of Kate Stonehill’s debut feature documentary, which premieres in the Zurich Film Festival‘s Border Lines sidebar. “Phantom Parrot” traces the case of U.K.
human rights activist Muhammad Rabbani, who was found guilty in 2017 of a terror-related crime for refusing to provide his passwords to police at London’s Heathrow Airport under Britain’s Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
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