Privacy International yesterday announced the winners of its Big Brother Awards 2003, the fifth year that the privacy group has run its competition to name those who it considers "the most persistent and egregious privacy invaders in Britain."

"Most Invasive Company" was Capita, the company behind many of the government's most controversial surveillance and data management schemes.

Tony Blair picked up the "Lifetime Menace Award" because of "his active involvement in the government's attack on civil liberties."

"Most Appalling Project" was the Government's Performance and Innovation Unit's data sharing sheme.

Privacy International's Director, Simon Davies, said the award winners reflected the "prolonged and vicious" attack on the right to privacy. He said privacy invasion in Britain has become "a vast industry that threatens the rights of everyone in Britain".

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