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UK ISPs Refuse to Monitor Users

An anonymous reader writes "The internet industry has refused to sign up to plans to give law enforcement and intelligence agencies access to the records of British web and email users, throwing David Blunkett's post-September 11 data surveillance regime into fresh disarray. In the latest of a long line of setbacks for the home secretary's data retention campaign, the Guardian has learned that internet service providers have told the Home Office that they will not voluntarily stockpile the personal records of their customers for long periods so that they can be accessed by police or intelligence officers."

489 comments

  1. EU framework draft on the matter by jukal · · Score: 5, Informative
    Since this statewatch report on a proposed EU data retention framework things have evolved a bit but still the concept of such data retention seems to be catching air:

    Summary:

    Statewatch's analysis shows that there are "grave gaps in civil liberties protection":
    - there are no grounds for refusing to execute a request on human rights grounds
    - there are no limits as to what data can be exchanged where member states allow for the retention of data on all crimes, not just the 32 listed
    - there is no reference to supervisory authorities on data protection
    - there is no reference to the individual's right to correct, delete, block data nor compensation for misuse or for related judicial review
    - no reference to controls on the copying of data
    - no rules for checking on the admissibility of data searches

    1. Re:EU framework draft on the matter by evbergen · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think there is a much more fundamental problem that is overlooked. Nobody is mentioning the fact that it /used/ to be the case that you needed to be under some suspicion before you were allowed to be spied on!

      There is a fundamental problem that arises when you start to collect data without a directed suspicion: people will start to fear that merely their patterns of behaviour (which he knows to be be monitored) will raise some suspicion and cause subsequent trouble. This is has chilling effects on society, on peoples very perception of freedom. Look at the horrors of the USSR, the DDR with its Stasi.

      I think the issue needs to be centered around this, and leave the exact criteria, which are completely irrelevant. Governments should not be allowed to spy on people without a clear suspicion, period. Collecting data may only start *after the suspicion is backed by a public court of law*, not when some police officer decides that it might be handy, and even less *by default*, for crying out loud!

      Doesn't anybody realise what a *huge* step this is?

      --
      All generalizations are false, including this one. (Mark Twain)
    2. Re:EU framework draft on the matter by jukal · · Score: 3, Insightful
      > Doesn't anybody realise what a *huge* step this is?

      I think many do. And even more would realize it if they just had the chance to realize it: I believe that 90% of people do not know what this really means because they are not capable of opening the content put behind the technological "black box". If people were told that from now on you have to inform officials about who you communicated with, when and how - they could actually panic. If you had to inform the police every time when you chat with your neighbour, send a letter to your grand mother, or call their husband. What is happening with these data retention laws is exact analogy.

    3. Re:EU framework draft on the matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > there are no grounds for refusing to execute a request on human rights grounds

      Suppose I just killed someone. I could claim that its my human right to kill him because (i believe) he killed my daughter, and I personally believe in 'an eye for an eye'. Well, is that a human right or not? Perhaps Statewatch should make a list of what actions fall under the category of a 'human right' first, rather than being vague?

    4. Re:EU framework draft on the matter by Darren+Winsper · · Score: 2

      "there are no grounds for refusing to execute a request on human rights grounds"
      I'd have thought the Human Rights Act would take care of that. In the UK it is treated as overriding other laws.

    5. Re:EU framework draft on the matter by Darren+Winsper · · Score: 2

      Well, the EU does have a law of human rights, I suggest you read it before considering the human rights argument as too vague to be meaningful.

    6. Re:EU framework draft on the matter by mpe · · Score: 2

      There is a fundamental problem that arises when you start to collect data without a directed suspicion: people will start to fear that merely their patterns of behaviour (which he knows to be be monitored) will raise some suspicion and cause subsequent trouble. This is has chilling effects on society, on peoples very perception of freedom. Look at the horrors of the USSR, the DDR with its Stasi.

      But such systems don't work that well against the likes of organised crime and terrorism. Since these kind of groups, at least the ones who are actually any kind of threat, can play "information warfare" just as well as a nation state. Assuming they don't simply vanish into a sea of noise. The latter was the problem the Stasi had, their ability to gather data far outstripped their ability to make any sense of it.

      I think the issue needs to be centered around this, and leave the exact criteria, which are completely irrelevant. Governments should not be allowed to spy on people without a clear suspicion, period. Collecting data may only start *after the suspicion is backed by a public court of law*, not when some police officer decides that it might be handy, and even less *by default*, for crying out loud!

      You also have the problem of "who watchs the watchers". Such a situation is a "honeypot" to the dishonest and criminal. The data collected would be very valuable to criminals and terrorists themselves.
      Important questions are "do you trust your government?", "do you trust everyone your government trusts, including foreign governments?" and "does your government trust anyone they shouldn't be trusting?"

  2. Unfortunately ... by Alranor · · Score: 5, Informative
    from the article

    Mr Blunkett has the power to make the code mandatory. In the Guardian last month, John Abbott, director general of the national criminal intelligence service, said all communications companies should be compelled to stockpile customer logs.


    So, while it's nice that the ISP's showed some common sense and backbone, it's not really going to get them very far.
    1. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 5, Interesting

      IF they stick together then there isn't much that the gov can do, aside from switch off the Internet in the UK - and I don't think that's very likely. They know this has little to do with terrorism. If Sept 11 and Bali teach us anything, they should teach us that someone with no regard for their own life, and simple weapons (knives in the case of Sept 11) can do horrific damage.

      They don't need to hack your computer, use strong cyphers, or any other "high tech" terrorism. Much more effective is blow something up with a lot of people nearby. These guys aren't rocket scientists, and the gov knows that - this is a cynical manipulation of human tragady for their own political ends. Personally it makes me sick. This is disrespectful of those who died on Sept 11 and in Bali, of course anyone who questions these new powers is accused of being "unAmerican", and "against the war on terror". This is just cynical political posturing. A better way to fight terror would surly be to remove guns from America society - I think that would save a lot more lives than reading my email or anyone elses.

      Does Osama bin Laden even have an email address? It seems pretty clear that terrorists don't need such things, a bomb, a gun or even a knife are (tragically) enough.

    2. Re:Unfortunately ... by plumby · · Score: 3, Funny

      Does Osama bin Laden even have an email address? He did have a mobile phone, and they did track him on this for a bit, but then (if I remember correctly) they announced this to the media so he switched it off.

    3. Re:Unfortunately ... by gowen · · Score: 4, Funny
      Does Osama bin Laden even have an email address
      Yes. You can even read his letters in the technology pages of newspapers complaining about how hard it is to get broadband connectivity in his cave.
      --
      Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
    4. Re:Unfortunately ... by joss · · Score: 2

      > A better way to fight terror would surly be to remove guns from America society

      While I agree with most of what you are saying, there is no basis whatsoever for linking gun ownership with terrorism. Sep 11 was achieved with box cutters and Bali isnt in US and they have stricter gun laws anyway. It seems a little hypocritical to accuse people of using terrorism to justify unrelated legislation and then doing exactly the same thing yourself in the very next sentance.

      --
      http://rareformnewmedia.com/
    5. Re:Unfortunately ... by yatest5 · · Score: 5, Insightful
      there is no basis whatsoever for linking gun ownership with terrorism

      I'm not sure, but I think the guy going round shooting people at the moment has a gun.

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    6. Re:Unfortunately ... by Alranor · · Score: 3, Funny

      I dunno, he might just have a REALLY good throwing arm ???

      On second thoughts, you're probably right.

    7. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 1

      Ha Ha!

      I think your joke makes my point perfectly - thanks.

    8. Re:Unfortunately ... by President+Chimp+Toe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yeah, but he has been profiled as a White Male, so he can't be a terrorist, right?

      No sireee, he is not terrorising anyone AT ALL. Heve you heard the word terrorist mentioned in news reports of this man AT ALL? Is this not entirely hypocritical?

    9. Re:Unfortunately ... by dipipanone · · Score: 1

      He does indeed have a gun. However, most anti-gun control people claim that they need the right to bear arms to defend themselves, but I've yet to read about anyone returning fire on him yet.

      Just think, all of those firearms, and nobody can actually figure out how to make them point at the one person who is a real threat...

    10. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but I think guns are dangerous. I know they weren't used in Sept 11. But I do think that the ease that guns can be obtained in the US is questionable at best. I know a lot of people get a lot of quite innocent pleasure from shooting firearms, and I think this pass time should be protected, but I personally don't see the need for normal citizens to own firearms. I'm not American, so perhaps I have a different perspective on this.

      I guess what I'm thinking about is the ongoing sniper shootings in the US, I'm sure that terrorist will be following these event closely. It would be easier to stop someone from misusing a gun, if you could stop him from (legally) owning it. Anyway I didn't mean to cause offence - sorry.

    11. Re:Unfortunately ... by yatest5 · · Score: 1
      You have to laugh really.


      I'm in the UK, so I don't know the full story - but the two people they pulled in yesterday, neither has been charged, but they've been passed to immigration.


      what's the chances that these are just two poor non-white guys who happened to be in a white van near the shooting - so they get thrown in a police van, questioned for hours, then deported.

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    12. Re:Unfortunately ... by yatest5 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Indeed. I think that basically, a gun is only going to help you defend yourself when your assailant *doesn't* have a gun.

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    13. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      And he'd still probably have a gun if they were more strictly regulated or completely illegal. Look at Schedule I drugs: US gov't says they have no benefitial purpose and hence can't be posessed by anyone. Doesn't really stop people from getting them if they want. Same thing with guns, except you actually need them in some form for law enforcement and such, making them more readily available.

    14. Re:Unfortunately ... by yatest5 · · Score: 1
      No sireee, he is not terrorising anyone AT ALL. Heve you heard the word terrorist mentioned in news reports of this man AT ALL? Is this not entirely hypocritical?

      In fact, to stretch it even more, if this guy did legally buy the weapon he's using, shouldn't big dubya be lining up a war againstthe American regime which sold this terrorist a weapon ;-)?

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    15. Re:Unfortunately ... by yatest5 · · Score: 1
      And he'd still probably have a gun if they were more strictly regulated actually, I disagree. he may well have been able to get hold of a 'saturday night special' (crappest of crap guns) but it would be unlikely he'd be able to get hold of the kind of long-range specialist weapon he's using at the moment.

      In the UK, we do have gun crime, but we don't have drive-bys with semi-automatic machine guns etc - its more idiot little ganster wannabe's with 400 dollar lamo-guns they picked up from the local pub.

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    16. Re:Unfortunately ... by slipgun · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm not sure, but I think the guy going round shooting people at the moment has a gun.

      So presumably if guns were made illegal, he wouldn't use one?

      In the UK, gun crime has shot up at least 50% since our government banned handguns in 1997. A guy in Australia also recently killed a couple of students and injured several more - with handguns. I believe Australia also banned handguns a few years ago (or at least made the subject to extremely strict controls, which is technically what has happened here in UK).

      My point is, if you can't stop criminals and psychopaths getting hold of weapons, you might as well at least allow ordinary people to fight on the same level. This was the view taken in Britain until 1920, when gun control in this country started in earnest. Indeed, the Prime Minister Lord Salisbury was one of the founders of the Working Mens' Rifle Club in (I think) 1900.

      --
      SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
    17. Re:Unfortunately ... by GigsVT · · Score: 0, Troll

      Sorry, but I think computers are dangerous. I know they weren't used in Sept 11. But I do think that the ease that computers can be obtained in the US is questionable at best. I know a lot of people get a lot of quite innocent pleasure from using computers, and I think this pass time should be protected, but I personally don't see the need for normal citizens to own computers. I'm American, so perhaps I have a different perspective on this.

      It would be easier to stop someone from misusing a computer, if you could stop him from (legally) owning it.

      --
      You are either for freedom or against it. You can't have it both ways.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    18. Re:Unfortunately ... by shibbie · · Score: 2, Funny

      We've found him! The only place were broadband is difficult to acquire is the UK!

    19. Re:Unfortunately ... by slipgun · · Score: 2

      Sorry, but I think guns are dangerous.

      It's true, they are dangerous. So are cars, knives, aircraft, cigarettes and screwdrivers.

      --
      SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
    20. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps they modelled this on the `ring of steel` around the centre of London during the IRA's most recent bombing campaign. Didn't make a lot of difference to the IRA's boming campaign, but it certainly seemed to turn up a number of black people with small amounts of cannabis for personal use. But think of the lives stopping them saved! Phew, I can sleep safe in my bed tonight knowing that hundreds of armed police are stopping Rastas from getting the munchies!

    21. Re:Unfortunately ... by yatest5 · · Score: 1
      My point is, if you can't stop criminals and psychopaths getting hold of weapons, you might as well at least allow ordinary people to fight on the same level.

      So if we can't stop psychopaths killing people randomly, maybe we should legalise that too?

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    22. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 1

      Sorry I'm missing the point you're making.

      I take it you're in some way disagreeing with my point. Guns are at the end of the day weapons - designed to put a projectile into (or through) an object usually a human being. I understand people like to shoot at targets and find that enjoyable, that's fine. Why do they need to take this weapon into the street? Why can't they go to somewhere setup for this kind of activity? I honestly don't get it.

      As far as protection is concerned - personally I think this is a red herring; they guy trying to kill you CAN get a gun just like you, and he can kill you before you're even aware of his intentions. I personally think it would be safer all round if neither of you had a gun. Even if he has and you don't - you're still safer, if he knows this he doesn't actually need to kill you. You point a gun at him, it either you or him - someone is getting hurt. Of course we're totally off topic here.

      I'm for limited freedom, that is freedom upto the point where my freedom unjustly curtails the freedom of others.

    23. Re:Unfortunately ... by MoogMan · · Score: 1

      In fact, he (apparently) knew all along that his phone (which, incidentally was a satellite phone - you aint gonna get any reception with orange in a cave in the middle of a desert now are you?) was bugged all along. He used it for family calls only apparently, to give the appearence of nothing dodgy going on...

    24. Re:Unfortunately ... by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      designed to put a projectile into (or through) an object usually a human being.

      What gave you that idea? You have been watching too many movies or something.

      I understand people like to shoot at targets and find that enjoyable, that's fine. Why can't they go to somewhere setup for this kind of activity?

      Most people do.. For a lot of people who live in rural areas, their back yard is fine. How do you go from banning guns to (I assume) just arguing against concealed carry?

      I personally think it would be safer all round if neither of you had a gun.

      That's never going to happen. Criminals don't follow laws, by definition. The only person gun laws take guns away from is the law abiding person.

      You point a gun at him, it either you or him - someone is getting hurt.

      Any introductory self defense class will teach you to never "point" a gun at someone. If you need to use your gun, you draw and fire at the center of mass. There is no big standoff.

      I'm for limited freedom, that is freedom upto the point where my freedom unjustly curtails the freedom of others.

      How does my freedom to own a gun in accordance with the law curtail anyone's freedom anywhere?

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    25. Re:Unfortunately ... by Ultra64 · · Score: 1

      False analogy

    26. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 1

      Well right - we have controls on those items too, it all a question of extent. And I take it that you'd agree there isn't any justification to take a knife or a screwdriver on to a plane right?

      I'm just saying why do you need to be allowed to take a gun into the street? I'm not trying to deny anyone legitimate pleasure from a gun - but you must agree there is a risk in allowing guns to be available. All I think is there limits are wrong. I'd also agree that some limits on knives should also be introduced.

    27. Re:Unfortunately ... by mgv · · Score: 2

      Sorry, but I think airplanes are dangerous. I know they were used in Sept 11. But I do think that the ease that airplanes can be obtained in the US is questionable at best. I know a lot of people get a lot of quite innocent pleasure from using airplanes, and I think this pastime should be protected, but I personally don't see the need for normal citizens to own airplanes.

      It would be easier to stop someone from misusing an airplane, if you could stop him from (legally) owning it.


      I'm just rephrasing what was said in earnest about guns, and then in parody about computers.

      I'd like to put a case that both of these viewpoints are compatible. It just depends on the tool and its potential for harm.

      A rogue airplane does more damage than a rogue computer user. After September 11 this would be hard to refute. And many times more Americans die each year from guns than ever did in 9-11.

      That is the real case for gun restriction.

      -Count the bodies.
      -Regulate appropriately.

      Works for computers, guns, airplanes, smallpox and fissionable material.

      My 2c worth,

      Michael

      --
      There is no cryptographic solution to the problem where the intended receiver and the attacker are the same entity.
    28. Re:Unfortunately ... by andyt · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure, but I think the guy going round shooting people at the moment has a gun.

      So presumably if guns were made illegal, he wouldn't use one?


      Well, this is just a guess, but I'm thinking that if guns were made illegal, he'd have a hell of a harder job getting one to use it.

      Gun crime has gone up in this country (apparently the Govt. didn't take into consideration the fact that most guns used in crime are owned by criminals), but I'm still in favour of the ban. Very little gun crime is of the "street crime" variety (presumably because if you can afford to buy a gun, you aren't going to be involved with mugging people, you're going to be robbing banks and dealing drugs). Most shootings in this country (certainly in London) involve inter-gang warfare. The odds of an average citizen being shot in most of the UK are incredibly low.

      Much as I would like to own a gun, I wouldn't trust anyone else in my neighbourhood with one.

    29. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 1

      I think we all need to THINK about what those limits should be, and maybe in a rural area on your own land it's fine for you to take pot shops at beer cans. I don't know - but I DO think it's something that needs to be discussed.

      I take your point about the intruder - I hope that everyone who owns a gun understands the point you made, it seem like VERY good advice.

      You're right I'm much more worried about guns being carried on the street than who actually OWNS the gun. I also worry about guns falling into the hands of minors - guns should always be stored somewhere secure. I'm guessing you'd agree with that too.

      From my point of view, at the moment, I don't see a legitimate reason for a normal citizen to own a gun, and keep it at home. However if there is such a reason then we need to make that as safe as we can. I think time would be better spent working this issue out than worrying about some "cyber threat" that doesn't even seem to exist.

      Over here in the UK, we're seeing a lot about the sniper in the US, and I find it hard to understand why making guns illegal. Of course this is a gut reaction to some shocking and deeply upsetting events - I never claimed to have fully thought the issue through. I am greatly concerned that this person has demonstrated a very effective new tactic of terror, one that might well be copied. Especially by someone who doesn't value their own life.

    30. Re:Unfortunately ... by michaelwb · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It reminds me of when Oklahoma City bombing happened. When at first it was blamed on Muslims in the media they were terrorists. But when it was white militia men...the word terrorist faded from the media. And I certainly don't recall a outcry to profile these groups. Round them up and arrest them., etc.

      Or the shootings, assults and arsons linked to these white power Christian fundamentalist groups. Why aren't they called Christian terrorists?!? A number of which are members of the same Christian church sect!

      Don't even get me started about the killings, bombings, assults, arsons and anthrax scares linked to anti-abortion groups. How come they aren't called terrorists?!?

      You can bet, that if a group talked of a need to eliminate bankers. Posted assassination lists online of key bankers, some of which were later killed. Had bombed a number of banks, set fires to others, harassed customers, sent in anthrax scares to banks...You bet the FBI would be rounding them up fast!

      Or how with all the school shootings, the media avoids talking about the pattern of them being middle-class white teen males? It's all kept vague and they refer how it's hard to find a pattern!

      - Michael
    31. Re:Unfortunately ... by Kyani · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The difference between guns and all those things is that the other things were designed for various purposes to help people, and can be missused as weapons. Guns have only one purpose -- to kill.

    32. Re:Unfortunately ... by 7-Vodka · · Score: 3, Informative
      Oh my goodness. You're so out of your freakin mind it's unbelievable. Here's some statistics which may shed light on your claim that banning handguns actually increased handgun violence in the UK:

      1. Guns were used in only 4.7% of robberies in 1999 and 4.4% in 1998
      2. Handgun homicide figures are very low and since 1980 have fluctuated from a low of 7 in 1988, through to 35 in 1993 and a previous high of 39 in1997. So 42 gun murders in 1999 does not represent a statistically significant increase.
      3. There is evidence of a growth in the use of imitation guns in crime but no figures can be put on this. It is likely however that some of the rise in handgun crime is attributable to imitations.

      Source gun control network

      I was AMAZED when I read this. Especially taking into account that population in the UK = pop of US/4 or so.

      Now I feel I have to put in context one of your statements:

      "My point is, if you can't stop criminals and psychopaths getting hold of weapons, you might as well at least allow ordinary people" to.

      Ok, so you're suggesting a system just like the united states right? Let's see in the U.S.: In 1999, 58% of all gun deaths were suicides, and 38% were homicides.(SOURCE: Hoyert DL, Arias E, Smith BL, Murphy SL, Kochanek, KD. Deaths: Final Data for 1999. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2001;49 (8).)

      It looks like guns are bad in the hands of ordinary people as well as criminals to me. *me wonders how many of those homicides were by ordinary people in a fit of rage, or by ordinary people accidentally shooting their friends/family etc. I wish I had those figures.

      --

      Liberty.

    33. Re:Unfortunately ... by glesga_kiss · · Score: 5, Insightful
      you aint gonna get any reception with orange in a cave in the middle of a desert now are you?

      Bin Laden is extremely rich. If you believe he is living in a cave, then you are buying into the bullshit propaganda that has already been refered to in this thread.

      People who deal dodgy things, e.g. drugs, know there is always the possibility that their communications aren't secure, so they don't talk about it over the phone or e-mail. Believe it or not, terrorists also know this.

      Anyone that believes that a terrorist could get caught by saying something on e-mail or browsing on the web clearly doesn't have a clue. These measures are all about spying on the little people. The big fish know the score already and use encryption and third-party messengers to exchange information, if they even bother using modern communications.

      They also don't try to give signals over videos in the news. That was another bullshit lie. God forbid the people ever find out the real reasons why some terrorists attack the US...

    34. Re:Unfortunately ... by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
      America has made it's bed on the gun issue. There are far too many around to ban them. A gun ban would only result in the criminals being the only one with guns. It simply wouldn't work.

      My only worry is that all these guns are now finding their way into the hands of criminals in other countries were firearms are less common. I'd rather see tighter controls in customs with shipments originating from the US rather than these "terrorist" countries.

    35. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The guy in Virginia would have a hell of a tough time killing anybody from the bushes with a car, knife, cigarette or screwdriver. The point is, with all the items there, the attacker would have to be physically close to the victim. Not only do the victims stand more of a chance of fighting their attacker off, the attacker is far more likely to be seen.

      As for aircraft, well now they're already regulated. You can't walk into an Aircraft Shop and pick up a used 777 after a 24 hour wait.

    36. Re:Unfortunately ... by jo.cool · · Score: 1
      Heve you heard the word terrorist mentioned in news reports of this man AT ALL? Is this not entirely hypocritical?


      Whoa. Before you go any farther, know that the local media in DC/MD/VA has not shied away from using the words "terrorist" or "terrorize". Every journalist and commentator has acknowledged that he (or she) does not have to be Muslim to be a terrorist. Please dismount the high horse.

    37. Re:Unfortunately ... by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
      My point is, if you can't stop criminals and psychopaths getting hold of weapons, you might as well at least allow ordinary people to fight on the same level.

      Nonsence. Look at the gun death figures per head of population for the US then the UK. Then try and argue your point that there should be more guns in the UK.

      Guns make killing people as simple as taking a photograph. Point and click. Stabbing someone to death is a horrific thing that I don't think many folk are capable of, ditto beating to death.

      I don't understand these people who believe that guns=freedom. The only "freedom" relating to guns is the complete removal of all freedoms possesed by a person who has a gun pointed at them. They lose the freedom of free choice and the freedom of speach, and in the worst case, the freedom to live. Yeah, guns are all about freedom...

    38. Re:Unfortunately ... by gotvim · · Score: 1

      I'll back this up, I swap between NPR and WLS-AM radio on my hour commute to work every morning. This way I get the liberal republican-bashers point-of-view, and the Republican War-mongers POV. Then I try to dicipher something between the two, but on both I have heard the word 'Terrorist' attatched to the beltway sniper many times! On BBC news too.

    39. Re:Unfortunately ... by thelexx · · Score: 3, Funny

      NEW POLL SHOWS CORRELATION IS CAUSATION

      WASHINGTON (AP) The results of a new survey conducted by pollsters
      suggest that, contrary to common scientific wisdom, correlation does in
      fact imply causation. The highly reputable source, Gallup Polls, Inc.,
      surveyed 1009 Americans during the month of October and asked them, "Do
      you believe correlation implies causation?" An overwhelming 64% of
      American's answered "YES", while only 38% replied "NO". Another 8% were
      undecided. This result threatens to shake the foundations of both the
      scientific and mainstream community.

      "It is really a mandate from the people." commented one pundit who wished
      to remain anonymous. "It says that The American People are sick and tired
      of the scientific mumbo-jumbo that they keep trying to shove down our
      throats, and want some clear rules about what to believe. Now that
      correlation implies causation, not only is everything easier to
      understand, it also shows that even Science must answer to the will of
      John and Jane Q. Public."

      Others are excited because this new, important result actually gives
      insight into why the result occurred in the first place. "If you look at
      the numbers over the past two decades, you can see that Americans have
      been placing less and less faith in the old maxim 'Correlation is not
      Causation' as time progresses." explained pollster and pop media icon
      Sarah Purcell. "Now, with the results of the latest poll, we are able to
      determine that people's lack of belief in correlation not being causal has
      caused correlation to now become causal. It is a real advance in the
      field of meta-epistemology."

      This major philosophical advance is, surprisingly, looked on with
      skepticism amongst the theological community. Rabbi Marvin Pachino feels
      that the new finding will not affect the plight of theists around the
      world. "You see, those who hold a deep religious belief have a thing
      called faith, and with faith all things are possible. We still fervently
      believe, albeit contrary to strong evidence, that correlation does not
      imply causation. Our steadfast and determined faith has guided us through
      thousands of years of trials and tribulations, and so we will weather this
      storm and survive, as we have survived before."

      Joining the theologists in their skepticism are the philosophers. "It's
      really the chicken and the egg problem. Back when we had to worry about
      causation, we could debate which came first. Now that correlation IS
      causation, I'm pretty much out of work." philosopher-king Jesse "The Mind"
      Ventura told reporters. "I've spent the last fifteen years in a heated
      philosophical debate about epistemics, and then all of the sudden Gallup
      comes along and says, "Average household consumption of peanut butter is
      up, people prefer red to blue, and...by the way, CORRELATION IS CAUSATION.
      Do you know what this means? This means that good looks actually make you
      smarter! This means that Katie Couric makes the sun come up in the
      morning! This means that Bill Gates was right and the Y2K bug is
      Gregory's fault." Ventura was referring to Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th
      century pontiff who introduced the "Gregorian Calendar" we use today, and
      who we now know is to blame for the year 2000.

      The scientific community is deeply divided on this matter. "It sure makes
      my job a lot easier." confided neuroscientist Thad Polk. "Those who
      criticize my work always point out that, although highly correlated,
      cerebral blood flow is not 'thought'. Now that we know correlation IS
      causal, I can solve that pesky mind-body problem and conclude that
      thinking is merely the dynamic movement of blood within cerebral tissue.
      This is going to make getting tenure a piece of cake!"

      Anti-correlationist Travis Seymour is more cynical. "What about all the
      previous correlational results? Do they get grandfathered in? Like, the
      old stock market/hemline Pearson's rho is about 0.85. Does this mean
      dress lengths actually dictated the stock market, even though they did it
      at a time when correlation did not imply causation? And what about
      negative and marginally significant correlations? These questions must be
      answered before the scientific community will accept the results of the
      poll wholeheartedly. More research is definitely needed."

      Whether one welcomes the news or sheds a tear at the loss of the ages-old
      maxim that hoped to eternally separate the highly correlated from the
      causal, one must admit that the new logic is here and it's here to stay.
      Here to stay, of course, until next October, when Gallup, Inc. plans on
      administering the poll again. But chances are, once Americans begin
      seeing the entrepeneurial and market opportunities associated with this
      major philosophical advance, there will be no returning to the darker age
      when causal relationships were much more difficult to detect.

      --
      "Gold still represents the ultimate form of payment in the world." - Alan Greenspan, 1999
    40. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They also don't try to give signals over videos in the news. That was another bullshit lie. God forbid the people ever find out the real reasons why some terrorists attack the US...

      Are you suggesting it's NOT because they hate America's freedom?! You must be one of them!

      /sarcasm

    41. Re:Unfortunately ... by FuzzyBad-Mofo · · Score: 1

      I believe that Bin Laden is extremely dead, lying under untold tons of rubble at Tora Bora.

      Of course, it's extremely hard to prove that he is dead, and not just hiding somewhere. But were he still alive, could he resist bragging about it? In addition, the US government can continue their stupid war until it's proven beyond doubt that he's dead..

    42. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      I've yet to read about anyone returning fire on him yet.

      You also don't hear about cases where a legal gun owner uses his weapon to protect himself, it's not flashy news that the media can sensationalize.

      And no-one ever knows how many potential crimes don't happen because the intended victim might have a gun. Those episodes never make the news either, for obvious reasons.

      I find it disturbing that anyone would make decisions on issues after only viewing the sensationalistic material presented by the media, and not the mundane facts of the situation.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    43. Re:Unfortunately ... by glesga_kiss · · Score: 2, Insightful
      I believe that Bin Laden is extremely dead, lying under untold tons of rubble at Tora Bora.

      If Tora Bora is in Afganistan (I don't know the region), then I doubt it. All the important terrorists got out of there long before the bombs started dropping. Do you think they just sat on their hands while the US was moving their forces? The Afgan war was really to get rid of the talliban, for whatever reason you see fit to believe...

      There are also advantages in your enemies thinking you are dead. They stop looking for you etc, allowing you greater freedom.

      Bush and pals likely know exactly whether he is dead or not. What gets released into public knowledge is always a subset of what goes on. For example (only because a saw a documentary on this last night) at the resolution of the Cuban missle crisis, Russia agreed to remove the forces if the US also withdrew it's nukes from Turkey. This was never reveled to the public, as far as everyone was aware, the US got the USSR to back down completely. Even Castro didn't know about this arrangement and he saw it as a defeat, when in essense the USSR got pretty much what it wanted: the equalisation of both sides first stike capability. It took 20 years for the truth to come out.

      Perhaps 20 years from now, we'll be discussing what really happened on 9/11 and the war on terror.

    44. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      So if we can't stop psychopaths killing people randomly, maybe we should legalise that too?

      What would you do if that psychopath got in a car and started running people over instead of using a gun? How about if he was a stabber instead? A strangler?

      Will you outlaw cars, kitchen utensils, and shoelaces to boot? (Pardon the pun.)

      I'm always glad to answer one false analogy with another.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    45. Re:Unfortunately ... by MCZapf · · Score: 1
      You make a good point. But, the thing that still bothers me is forceably taking guns away from people who'd rather keep them. Owning a gun is a freedom, no matter how you slice it. The fact that it is a very costly freedom doesn't change this.

      I'd rather see people give up their guns voluntarily because they don't need them. I'd rather see people use their guns responsibly if they must have them. I'd rather see people lock up their guns separate from the ammunition so their children don't shoot themselves.

    46. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      Well, this is just a guess, but I'm thinking that if guns were made illegal, he'd have a hell of a harder job getting one to use it.

      Not really, due to our drug laws we have a thriving black market infrastructure in place. They'd just add guns to the menu.

      Very little gun crime is of the "street crime" variety (presumably because if you can afford to buy a gun, you aren't going to be involved with mugging people, you're going to be robbing banks and dealing drugs). Most shootings in this country (certainly in London) involve inter-gang warfare. The odds of an average citizen being shot in most of the UK are incredibly low.

      I don't care if gang members kill each other all day long. However, if I'm being accosted by them I think my odds are better if we all have guns than if I try to fight them all hand to hand. And those are still better than the odds if they had guns and I was unarmed. There is strength in numbers, and like it or not a firearm levels that out.

      Much as I would like to own a gun, I wouldn't trust anyone else in my neighbourhood with one.

      I do wish that there was more safety and skills training involved to get a carry permit. However, I think the same thing about a drivers license!

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    47. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      Look at the gun death figures per head of population for the US then the UK

      Then after you do this, remove the inter-gang violence from your numbers for both countries and compare. Report your findings.

      In the US, I'd bet the gang wars crank that shooting fatalities statistic up quite a lot. I don't give a rat about protecting gang bangers, lets look at how it affects law abiding citizens.

      While you are at it, let's talk about home invasions being several hundred percent more common in the UK since the ban on guns.

      The only "freedom" relating to guns is the complete removal of all freedoms possesed by a person who has a gun pointed at them.

      I'd rather remove the freedoms of the guy who broke into my house at night than have him remove mine while I'm trying to call for help.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    48. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      I'm much more worried about guns being carried on the street

      Me, I'm more worried about people carrying illegaly: after all, they are already breaking the law. I don't think most criminals would get a carry permit, to be honest. Wouldn't it be ironic if the east coast sniper was stopped by a private citizen who happened to have his firearm? I doubt an unarmed citizen would have the chance.

      I don't see a legitimate reason for a normal citizen to own a gun, and keep it at home

      Do you have a fire extinguisher in your home? How about a first aid kit? The ambulance and fire trucks are not right outside your house when you need them, and neither are the police.

      Of course this is a gut reaction to some shocking and deeply upsetting events - I never claimed to have fully thought the issue through

      You are not alone, a lot of people are making decisions about this after only seeing the footage of the sniper. Remember, someone lawfully using a gun to defend themselves is not sensational enough for the media to air in a continuous loop for a week straight, so you'll NEVER see it reported. Nor will you see reports of all the crimes that didn't happen because the criminal wasn't sure if the victim was armed.

      I am greatly concerned that this person has demonstrated a very effective new tactic of terror, one that might well be copied. Especially by someone who doesn't value their own life.

      I thought this too, but I don't think making guns harder to get legally would slow them down. I bet they have guns they can easily get in the country if they wanted to.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    49. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      Yes, the police find that they work better that way.

      And if you ever need to stop someone from hurting you or yours, and the police aren't around, you'll be WISHING that you had a gun. Just because the situation never came up for you (yet) doesn't mean that nobody else has been in that position.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    50. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 1

      But surely tighter control on guns will make it harder to obtain a gun for illegal purposes (I agress not impossible). As for the a gun in the house making it safer, I'm not so sure. I'd like to think that such a thing would be under lock and key - I don't much care for the idea that it is easy to find and remove. If it is under lock and key then I doubt it'll do you much good if someone breaks in (let's hope that theory remains unanswered).

      I'm also a bit wary of the idea that the best outcome of this sniper thing is for the sniper to be killed. I think this might encourage (these particular) terrorists more than anything, then seem to relish "a glorous death". I think we're all very much at a loss as to what to do.

      But wharever lets hope he's caught soon, and we don't see his kind again.

    51. Re:Unfortunately ... by sgtrock · · Score: 1

      Yep, that's true. You notice he's not trying this crap out West where 'right to carry' laws are far more common, don't you?

      IMO if this guy was wandering around shooting people in Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, or any one of another dozen or so states he'd already be dead.

    52. Re:Unfortunately ... by Dionysus · · Score: 1

      This was never reveled to the public, as far as everyone was aware, the US got the USSR to back down completely.

      I always thought this 'fact' was interesting, because it seemed such a surprise here (in the US)... I was being taught about this back in gradeschool in the '80s in Norway... Then again, lots of Americans don't seem to know about Dresden.

      --
      Je ne parle pas francais.
    53. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Yeah, but he has been profiled as a White Male, so he can't be a terrorist, right?

      No sireee, he is not terrorising anyone AT ALL. Heve you heard the word terrorist mentioned in news reports of this man AT ALL? Is this not entirely hypocritical?

      No, it is not hypocritical at all. I'm frankly getting tired of everything being labelled as terrorist this and terrorist that. At the moment the sniper has the profile of a random psychologically disturbed individual who is acting out in an anti-social fashion. There is a difference between that and terrorism.

      Under normal circumstances, terrorism is the use of ``terror'' to coerce a government or people into some form of [political] action that furthers the terrorist's agenda.

      What is the sniper looking for?

    54. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      And I certainly don't recall a outcry to profile these groups. Round them up and arrest them., etc.
      Actually, there was a backlash against civil liberties after the Oklahoma City bombing but it didn't last as long. Maybe it was because the bombers were not Muslims, or maybe it was because the event was an order of magnitude less destuctive in terms of human life. You decide.
    55. Re:Unfortunately ... by glesga_kiss · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Then after you do this, remove the inter-gang violence from your numbers for both countries and compare. Report your findings.

      What's your point? A death is still a death. Innocent or not. We have gangs here as well you know, very rarely does anyone get killed.

      Law abiding citizens are affected. Crossfire I'm sure kills quite a few folk. The money spent policing to get the area to the point that decent people can walk safely must be a huge portion of the Police budget. Or the not-so-well-off person who has to queue at community hospitals where a large portion of their budget is spent healing gunshot wounds. Jeez, it's so common you even have an acronym for it, GSW.

      While you are at it, let's talk about home invasions being several hundred percent more common in the UK since the ban on guns.

      OK, let't talk about it. First, cite your source, it's completely new to me and I've never heard or seen any statistic that shows this sort of crime going up, especially to the extent of several hundred percent.

      Next, you have to realise that there is no gun culture in the UK, there never has been. Handguns were banned after 60ish man shot and killed at least 20 very young children. The man in question was a permit-holding member of a gun club and was legally entitled to own his weapons. Public opinion led to the complete ban of handguns only, at which point the owners of the guns were obliged to hand them in, after being given the monetry equivalent value of the gun.

      Guns have absolutly no bearing in home invasion statistics here. Because guns are so rare (in my years I have NEVER even seen a gun in this country), the likelyhood of a homeowner having a gun was so remote that criminals wouldn't even give it a second thought.

      So, I fail to see how the banning of handguns had anything to do with any increase in house breaking.

    56. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Yeah, but he has been profiled as a White Male, so he can't be a terrorist, right?


      Sorry, you're just being stupid. Generally a "terrorist" act is a violent act that has a purpose of furthering some political agenda (even if it's just to get more attention for said terrorist's agenda).


      Some guy sniping people from the bushes == murderer, period. He doesn't even have some half-baked political ideal to fall back on.


      Some guy blowing up a federal building to draw attention to his problems with the federal gov't == terrorist. Stupid Terrorist, actually.


      Please get your distinctions straight. You and some of the people who replied to your statement, seem to want to make every act of violence a "terrorist" act. Sorry, it ain't. It doesn't strengthen your argument to condemn the media/gov't/etc for assuming "all terrorists are muslim" while at the same time trying to push the idea "all christians/anti-abortionists/etc are terrorists".

    57. Re:Unfortunately ... by liloldme · · Score: 1
      Perhaps 20 years from now, we'll be discussing what really happened on 9/11 and the war on terror.

      Indeed. Should be interesting. Sort of annoying we are forced to wait so long, would be much more helpful to know what's really going on today. But the world is what it is.

      Although I don't believe the information about to be revealed 20 years from now will really help us in solving whatever the crisis of the day will be then. More than likely the would be lessons to be learned will again be ignored and whoever in the possession of power at that time will keep banging their head to the same old brick wall.

      And the world spins around and around and around again.

    58. Re:Unfortunately ... by Kyani · · Score: 1

      Maybe you'd be WISHING you had a gun (actually I'm sure you already do), but I certainly wouldn't. You assume that anyone who is againt guns has never been threatened and/or hurt by someone....that's quite wrong. I've come through those situations and I'll still never consider owning a gun.

    59. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      so what's the threshold when it is ok to start removing civil liberties? how many people does it take? it seems to be somewhere between 200 and 3000?

      what does the number of deaths have to do with whether it is ok to piss on civil liberties or not?

    60. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Long range specialist weapon? He's shooting people from about 100 yards aways. A cheap bolt action rifle with iron sights can do that.

    61. Re:Unfortunately ... by verloren · · Score: 1

      Easy mistake to make, but I suspect you're thinking of Jerry Pournelle Maybe international terrorism will end now that he has DSL.

      Cheers, Paul

    62. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hmm, considering the US involvement in Afghanistan during the cold war I'd think it is not that uncommon that many of the current terrorists have weapons that originated from the US.

    63. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      what does the number of deaths have to do with whether it is ok to piss on civil liberties or not?
      I was not suggesting that any number of deaths would make removing civil liberties acceptable, just noting that the original poster had misremembered the Oklahomo City aftermath and made an invalid comparison between two events that were of an entirely different order of magnitude in terms of loss of human life and property damage. Or more to the point: The aftermath of Oklahoma City threatened civil liberties an order of magnitude less than the aftermath of September 11, but that makes sense given the comparative scale of the two events.
    64. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't see free speech stopping this guy either. We better get rid of that too.

    65. Re:Unfortunately ... by jez9999 · · Score: 0

      Or perhaps in 20 years time, only 'authorized' people will be allowed to talk uncensored on the internet. :-(

    66. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I think the idea is that original people do not need to fight crime, but that is left to the law enforcement. They have the training and knowledge (and the power) to execute within the law. Ordinary people do not.

      But I guess a coward such as yourself just feels more safe and confident if you're allowed to hold a piece of metal in your hands.

    67. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 1

      Err, I think the car is pretty easy to answer - if the sniper was using his van to kill people he'd have been caught before now.

      I also don't think he'd find the other methods quite so easy either. Of course I don't like knives much either anyone caught with a concealed kitchen knife should have that removed too. I agree that we could classify almost anything as a weapon if we wanted. But we're talking about guns here, guns are used to shoot things (or people) cars are transportation, sure you can use one as a weapon, but that's not it's primary purpose.

      Let me put it another way - would you allow a blade to be fitted to cars to make them more leathal? Of course not, such things would be rightly banned.

      In fact if something could be done to a car to make it less dangerous then I think most people would support that.

    68. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I dunno, it seems that they are way more effective with massive amounts of explosives smart ass.

    69. Re:Unfortunately ... by FuzzyBad-Mofo · · Score: 1

      Tora Bora is the mountainous region near the Pakistan border where the Taliban and Al Quida forces holed up in caves. It was thought that Bin Laden was present when the US military dropped several "daisy cutters" (a 15,000 lb bomb) on the area, which possibly collapsed some of the caves. At any rate, he has not been heard from since. :)

      I found your comments about Cuba and Turkey very interesting, I know that my government often avoids full disclosure, but I was unaware of this.

    70. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      t's talk about home invasions being several hundred percent more common in the UK since the ban on guns.

      Do you make a conscious effort of appearing like a complete moron, or does that come naturally to you?

    71. Re:Unfortunately ... by Blue+Stone · · Score: 1

      See my sig.

      --
      Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
    72. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Wouldn't it be ironic if the east coast sniper was stopped by a private citizen who happened to have his firearm?

      No it wouldn't. I society that requires private citizens to go after criminals is not functioning correctly.

    73. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Do you have a fire extinguisher in your home? How about a first aid kit? The ambulance and fire trucks are not right outside your house when you need them, and neither are the police.

      So the truth of the matter is that you're just scared. That's all.

    74. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      LOL!!!! ;-)

      (no this is not ASCII art)

    75. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      We have gangs here as well you know, very rarely does anyone get killed

      Noooo, you don't say? Don't you realize that the US is the only place of gang crime, it can't exists anywhere else, and they're the only ones who are allowed to blame their ridiculously violent society as a statistical fluke due to mad violent gangs.

      Shame on you!

    76. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      not paying taxes is a freedom too

      welcome to the real world

    77. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In a perfect world, an idiot like yourself would not have been allowed to be born.

    78. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And you're stupid.

    79. Re:Unfortunately ... by lobsterGun · · Score: 1

      It works like this.

      In American States that allow the carrying of handguns staticics have shown a decrease in violent crime and a rise in propery crime. They theory is that when criminals know that there is a high potential that their target is armed they switch to other forms of crime. The crime rate doesn't really drop, it just shifts from one form of crime to another (less dangerous) one.

    80. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      As for the a gun in the house making it safer, I'm not so sure. I'd like to think that such a thing would be under lock and key - I don't much care for the idea that it is easy to find and remove. If it is under lock and key then I doubt it'll do you much good if someone breaks in (let's hope that theory remains unanswered).

      If the gun is not in my immediate presence, it is secured and empty. I'm a responsible gun owner. I don't have kids, but I don't want to come home to a suprise either.

      I'm also a bit wary of the idea that the best outcome of this sniper thing is for the sniper to be killed. I think this might encourage (these particular) terrorists more than anything, then seem to relish "a glorous death". I think we're all very much at a loss as to what to do.

      Do you think the police will take him alive? I'd be very suprised. And it would be better for him to doe to a private citizen than be a martyr against the state.

      But wharever lets hope he's caught soon, and we don't see his kind again.

      I fully agree!

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    81. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      I'm glad you made that choice for yourself.

      Why do you think you have the right to make it for me?

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    82. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 1

      Quote: "And it would be better for him to doe to a private citizen than be a martyr against the state."

      I'm not sure, in some minds that would make private citizens (more) legitimate targets, personally I find the act of killing anyone totally sickening. I do understand that there are occations where it is the only alternative, but killing another human being should always be the last resort. (By this I mean that for someone to shoot and kill someone who is threatening your life or the life of another seems reasonable)

      Perhaps you'd support spot checks upon how firearms are stored? So that an official agency would come and ask to inspect how your firearms are being stored, and remove those firearms if they were not being stored correctly. I'm not talking about some random search of your home here either, just a couple of officials wanting to see how the guns you legitimatly own are stored, with no mandate (or power) to snoop into anything else. This seems like a reasonable measure.

    83. Re:Unfortunately ... by gid-goo · · Score: 1

      And no-one ever knows how many potential crimes don't happen because the intended victim might have a gun. Those episodes never make the news either, for obvious reasons.

      Those episodes never get reported because there's no evidence they actually exist. A nice urban myth that gun owners smugly tell themselves while going to bed. Sleep well!

    84. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      **bzzt** Never been to Australia, have you? we are still running floppies between 386's here...

    85. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      How does my freedom to own a gun in accordance with the law curtail anyone's freedom anywhere?

      Because with fruitcakes like you owning guns, everyone else is threatened, which IS limiting their freedom to enjoy life without fear.

    86. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why shouldn't he be, he lives in a country full of fuckwits with guns!

    87. Re:Unfortunately ... by The_dev0 · · Score: 1
      It just depends on the tool and its potential for harm.

      I agree, but computers and aeroplanes have valid uses. What is a gun for if not for killing life?

      --
      Never fight naked, unless you're in prison...
    88. Re:Unfortunately ... by glesga_kiss · · Score: 2
      Je ne parle pas francais

      lol, I just got that joke after reading it 10 times! Clever...

    89. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well I guess you do have a point there.

    90. Re:Unfortunately ... by Kyani · · Score: 1

      Yikes, where did I say I was making any choices for anybody else? My original reply was to refute an illogical argument that aircraft, cars, knives, etc, should be looked at the same as guns.

      I never said anything about taking away anyones guns, or whether or not people should be able to own and/or carry guns. If it appeared that way, then I'm sorry for your mistake. Building up an argument yourself, then attributing it to me and shooting it down is not a very good way to debate. It's called a paper tiger. Please don't do it. And drop the condescension too. If you can't debate like a big boy then go back to the sand box.

    91. Re:Unfortunately ... by 0x0d0a · · Score: 2

      One of the first sentences in my high school French textbook...

    92. Re:Unfortunately ... by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      There are plenty of sports that involve firearms. What is a golf club if not for smashing someone's head in? That's how you liberals sound.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    93. Re:Unfortunately ... by DavidTC · · Score: 1
      It reminds me of when Oklahoma City bombing happened. When at first it was blamed on Muslims in the media they were terrorists. But when it was white militia men...the word terrorist faded from the media

      You misremember this. In fact, McVeigh is commonly called a 'terrorist' to this day. (Though he's a caught terrorist, and thus not really that important in this day of supposedly uncaught terrorists.) Possibly you don't live in the US, though, it may differ elsewhere.

      And I certainly don't recall a outcry to profile these groups. Round them up and arrest them., etc.

      I don't see any outcry to round up Muslims, either.

      And your statement makes no sense at all. You can't round up or even security check all white people, you'd put half the country in jail. Whereas you can certainly round up all visiting people from a few countries. Which no one has suggested doing anyway.

      Or the shootings, assults and arsons linked to these white power Christian fundamentalist groups. Why aren't they called Christian terrorists?!?

      Because they call themselves 'white power' groups and not 'Christian' groups. In fact, they really aren't Christian groups, and I don't mean in the 'anyone who acts like that isn't a Christian' sense, I mean that they really aren't associated with Christianity in any way. They may personally be Christians, but that doesn't have anything to do with it, the 'white power' movement is the white power movement, it isn't an offshoot of Christianity.

      And, yes, I'm sure there are exceptions that test the rule, but that's not the point. They don't 'recruit' in churches, they don't have anything to do with Christianity except some weird historical artifacts like burning crosses. (Which would be the KKK, not the 'white power' movement, anyway. The KKK at least has some historical precedent with claiming to be Christian.)

      In fact, I'm a little confused at why people think the 'white power' movement has anything to do with Christianity at all. That claim might make sense for the KKK in the forties, but that's not even the same KK as the current one, which isn't the 'white power' movement anyway.

      A number of which are members of the same Christian church sect!

      Which, amazingly, you didn't even manage to mention, so I'll just completely ignore this. I suspect you made it up. (And, BTW, correlation doesn't equal casuality.)

      Don't even get me started about the killings, bombings, assults, arsons and anthrax scares linked to anti-abortion groups. How come they aren't called terrorists?!?

      Are you talking about that guy back in January? The one who called himself a terrorist? Yeah, the media didn't want to call him one, that's what he wanted them to do.

      Anyway, you should read, more ABCNews, apparently. Or maybe the miltary's list of domestice terror groups, many of which are anti-abortion terrorists. (Now, if you want to call these people 'Christian fundementalists', go right ahead. But that's rather vague, 'Christian anti-abortion fundamentalists' is more specific, and at that point you might as well leave off 'Christian', there are basically no other anti-abortion terrorists in the US.)

      You can bet, that if a group talked of a need to eliminate bankers. Posted assassination lists online of key bankers, some of which were later killed. Had bombed a number of banks, set fires to others, harassed customers, sent in anthrax scares to banks...You bet the FBI would be rounding them up fast!

      Um...you're an idiot. The police DID force the people who ran the 'hit lists' to take them down, and charged them with criminal activities, though I don't think they could get accessory to murder to stick in court. (Which means you need to blame the jury, not the police.)

      Or how with all the school shootings, the media avoids talking about the pattern of them being middle-class white teen males? It's all kept vague and they refer how it's hard to find a pattern!

      Okay, now you're simply being stupid. The reason there was a focus on 'all' the school shootings (all five of them or so) was because they were middle-class white kids. Inner-city kids shoot themselves all the time.

      And one attribute shared among the shootings doesn't make a pattern when that attribute is the only reason they're linked together in the first place.

      If group A has a low rate of X, then suddenly the rate of X increases (Which it didn't really, it just got more high profile), then assuming it's because they are group A is idiotic...they were group A before the rate went up. The media is smart enough to realize this.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    94. Re:Unfortunately ... by DavidTC · · Score: 1
      Except, of course, every single time that laws are passed allowing conceled weapons, muggings, car jackings, basically every crime where a criminal waves a gun in a stranger's face, they all go down. And every single time they are repealed, they go up.

      Now, you can make all the comparisions between different areas you want, crime varies from place to place. But I will bet you cannot show a single place and time that crime has not gone up the next year after concealed weapons were banned, or a place that crime has gone down the next year after they were allowed. Not even 'stayed the same', but gone up or down several percentages. And if you can think of a better explaination of this effect then 'Criminals are scared people might have a gun', I'd like to hear it.

      Note this isn't a pro-gun control agrument in general, this is a agrument that criminals are in fact scared people might have a gun, because merely changing the law to allow people the be secretly carrying a weapon (without even changing the number of permits) scares them off, or at least scares them to other types of crime. If there's a concealed weapons law, they know the next person they mug make decide to pull out a gun instead of a wallet.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    95. Re:Unfortunately ... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2
      God forbid the people ever find out the real reasons why some terrorists attack the US...

      What, did the CIA fall through on a drug deal?

      Or maybe it's the aforementioned lack of broadband in his area.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    96. Re:Unfortunately ... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2
      You may have some points re: gun control, but I think that mentioning suicide is ridiculous. People who want to kill themselves will find a way whether they have a gun or not.

      Bringing suicide into the conversation is like invoking Hitler; It's sure to bring about a breakdown of rational thought.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    97. Re:Unfortunately ... by DavidTC · · Score: 1
      In 1999, 58% of all gun deaths were suicides, and 38% were homicides.

      I don't think tose figures say what you think they say. All deaths are either suicides, homocides, or accidents. (Or, of course, crossing the boundaries.) Presumably, the other 4% were accidents. That means that only 38% of the time a gun is fired at someone and kills them, it was an attack on someone else.

      And I fail to see how that's an argument for gun control.

      That means even if all guns magically disappeared tomorrow, 58% of the gun deaths would still happen, they'd just happen some other way. I mean, a suicide isn't going to go 'Hey, no gun, might as well keep living'. Yes, they might say something like that, but it's just as likely they'll stick a gun in their mouth and say, '...erm, maybe not today.' instead of taking fifty sleeping pills, which isn't scary at all, at least not as scary as pulling a trigger on yourself. If they can get the willpower do that, they can get the willpower to jump off a building, shooting yourself is really the most scary method of suicide I can think of, because you 'know' the second you pull that trigger it's going to hurt like hell. (It won't really, but whatever.)

      So I think we can safely conclude that people who are willing to pull a trigger on themselves are mostly willing to try less scary measures like running the car in a garage or taking a bunch of sleeping pills. Some people might be less likely to kill themselves, but some people might be more if a gun isn't the first thing they think of.

      So, basically, 58% of gun deaths are unpreventable, even without guns. Maybe a small percentable woul commit suicide another way, but not many. Think about that the next time you see a number that says 'X amount of people die from guns each year'.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    98. Re:Unfortunately ... by The_dev0 · · Score: 1

      No Einstein, a golf club is for hitting a golf ball. As for your plenty of sports, there is... erm.. shooting. Are you trying to say every gun owner in the US is a licensed sports shooter? No wonder you have no problems with violent crimes involving firearms. Put a gun in the hand of a pussy, and he instantly thinks he is a tough guy. I can guess you own one.

      --
      Never fight naked, unless you're in prison...
    99. Re:Unfortunately ... by mpe · · Score: 2

      More than likely the would be lessons to be learned will again be ignored and whoever in the possession of power at that time will keep banging their head to the same old brick wall.

      All too often they are interested in banging someone else's head against the wall.If they were just banging their own that would be an improvement. e.g. if modern political leaders lead battles personally there would be fewer wars.

    100. Re:Unfortunately ... by mpe · · Score: 2

      I'm not sure, but I think the guy going round shooting people at the moment has a gun.

      So making gun ownership illegal would ensure that no criminal could get their hands on a gun? Even if you made it difficult to get hold of guns they couldn't simply use a crossbow?

    101. Re:Unfortunately ... by mpe · · Score: 2

      Hmm, considering the US involvement in Afghanistan during the cold war I'd think it is not that uncommon that many of the current terrorists have weapons that originated from the US.

      Probably with training as well as being supplied the arms. The US was happy to support people like OBL when they were fighting the Soviet Union and Saddam Hussain when Iraq was at war with Iran (especially after Iran had just booted out a US/UK installed tyrant.)
      Many nations are quite willing to support "terrorists" when it matchs their current political aims. Which is what makes the whole "war on terror" idea a nonsense.

    102. Re:Unfortunately ... by President+Chimp+Toe · · Score: 2

      fair enough. I dismount.
      Living in the UK (and not able to hear the local DC media) this guy hasnt been called a terrorist.

      I am glad to hear i was wrong about the US media.

      However, I do believe there would be differences in the way the media will potray this depending on whether the guy turns out to be a muslim or christian.

    103. Re:Unfortunately ... by mpe · · Score: 2

      I don't think tose figures say what you think they say. All deaths are either suicides, homocides, or accidents. (Or, of course, crossing the boundaries.) Presumably, the other 4% were accidents. That means that only 38% of the time a gun is fired at someone and kills them, it was an attack on someone else.
      And I fail to see how that's an argument for gun control.
      That means even if all guns magically disappeared tomorrow, 58% of the gun deaths would still happen , they'd just happen some other way. I mean, a suicide isn't going to go 'Hey, no gun, might as well keep living'. Yes, they might say something like that, but it's just as likely they'll stick a gun in their mouth and say, '...erm, maybe not today.' instead of taking fifty sleeping pills, which isn't scary at all, at least not as scary as pulling a trigger on yourself. If they can get the willpower do that, they can get the willpower to jump off a building, shooting yourself is really the most scary method of suicide I can think of, because you 'know' the second you pull that trigger it's going to hurt like hell. (It won't really, but whatever.)


      Actually it's likely to be 96% of those gun deaths would still happen. Since just as lack of easy access to a gun is unlikely to stop someone committing suicide it's unlikely to prevent someone committing a homicide. Indeed they can probably still use a gun, since if they are caught they will be charged with "murder" or "attempted murder" rather than "illegal posession of a firearm".

    104. Re:Unfortunately ... by mpe · · Score: 2

      Well, this is just a guess, but I'm thinking that if guns were made illegal, he'd have a hell of a harder job getting one to use it.

      Not really, since a criminal is more likely to use a blackmarket supply than legitimate gun shop.

    105. Re:Unfortunately ... by mpe · · Score: 2

      I'd rather see people lock up their guns separate from the ammunition so their children don't shoot themselves.

      Hardly much help if an armed intruder breaks in. Are they really going to let the householder go to both their secure ammunition and gun cabinets then load a gun. Just to give a sporting chance...
      Most parents manage to keep all sorts of dangerous things in their houses and not wind up with dead children.

    106. Re:Unfortunately ... by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      Are you trying to say every gun owner in the US is a licensed sports shooter?

      There are no licenses to own a firearm for sport, just as you don't need a license to own golf clubs for sport.

      The other legitimate use of guns is self defense, which is the main other reason people own firearms.

      No wonder you have no problems with violent crimes involving firearms

      I have serious problems with violent crime. I think violent crime should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

      Put a gun in the hand of a pussy, and he instantly thinks he is a tough guy.

      Uh, OK.

      I can guess you own one.

      Not right now. My dad is the treasurer at the local gun club, and is also a gunsmith though. I've done my share of shooting for sport.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    107. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      I'm not sure, in some minds that would make private citizens (more) legitimate targets, personally I find the act of killing anyone totally sickening. I do understand that there are occations where it is the only alternative, but killing another human being should always be the last resort. (By this I mean that for someone to shoot and kill someone who is threatening your life or the life of another seems reasonable)

      To that sniper, private citizens already are legitimate targets. I appreciate your stance on killing, and respect it. I'll _never_ ask you to have a gun. :-) However, if the situation you described comes up, I'll be glad that I have one.

      Perhaps you'd support spot checks upon how firearms are stored? So that an official agency would come and ask to inspect how your firearms are being stored, and remove those firearms if they were not being stored correctly. I'm not talking about some random search of your home here either, just a couple of officials wanting to see how the guns you legitimatly own are stored, with no mandate (or power) to snoop into anything else. This seems like a reasonable measure.

      Right now, there is no enforcement at all on how your guns are stored. Also, if your gun is improperly stored, you are not always liable if it would be used in a crime or an accident. I don't think spot checking houses would be nearly as effective as holding the owner more responsible for their property, just like dog-owners should be. Now, if you have a gun secured and locked and it is stolen, that's a different story. But to leave one laying around is criminal, and most people would change their behavior accordingly. The ones that wouldn't should NOT have a weapon.

      By the way, I appreciate you discussing this in a calm and rational fashion. Thank you.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    108. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      I never said anything about taking away anyones guns, or whether or not people should be able to own and/or carry guns

      Valid point, I apologize. I thought that was in your post. After replying to a few dozen posts in this thread, I blurred who said what. You're right, it really was my mistake.

      And drop the condescension too. If you can't debate like a big boy then go back to the sand box.

      Sorry, I didn't know I was being condescending either, so if I was then it was unintentional. Apologies again.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    109. Re:Unfortunately ... by sql*kitten · · Score: 2

      I'm not sure, but I think the guy going round shooting people at the moment has a gun.

      He also has a white van... are you suggesting a correlation between van ownership and terrorism?

      Why stop there? I bet he has toes too, and eyelashes! Quick, arrest everyone with toes and eyelashes!!

    110. Re:Unfortunately ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your stupidity is staggering.

    111. Re:Unfortunately ... by Jezza · · Score: 2

      "Right now, there is no enforcement at all on how your guns are stored. Also, if your gun is improperly stored, you are not always liable if it would be used in a crime or an accident"

      Wow, I didn't know that - you're right that seems crazy. What about training, are do you have to have proper training or take a test? I gun can be very dangerous to it's owner if they don't know how to handle it properly. As I live in the UK I don't know these things, I mean you can't just walk into a shop and buy a gun can you? What kinds of controls are there to who can legally own a gun?

      I was reading about a "smart gun" that can identify its owner and only fire for them - I've no idea how this works, but this seems like a very positive move. The example they gave was so a cop's gun couldn't be used on him. I imagine it would cost more than a normal gun, but seems worth the cash if it'll save a cop's life. I guess it all comes down to if it adversly effects the guns reliability, otherwise in a different situation it could put the cop at greater risk.

      "By the way, I appreciate you discussing this in a calm and rational fashion. Thank you."

      That's okay, I can tell that you are a very careful owner of your gun, I respect that. If people are going to have guns I'd rather it was people like you.

    112. Re:Unfortunately ... by DavidTC · · Score: 1
      Well, I think at least a small percentage of them wouldn't happen. Both sides are being silly if they say 'all the murders would still happen' or 'none of the murders would happen'. Maybe half of them would happen.

      And the accident related deaths wouldn't happen at all, and it's something anti-gun control people need to accept. But if we outlawed cars we wouldn't have any car accidents either, and those killa lot more people, mostly people who aren't the irresponsibly ones.

      Gun accidents usually happen in a home and kill only the owner or someone in the family. Eventually, you have to let Darwin write some people off.

      Whereas, logically, more than half the people who died in car accidents were perfectly good drivers, unless the vast majority of car accidents are a single person running his car off a bridge, which I doubt.

      Anyway, my point was that it's certainly not going to do anything to reduce the number of suicides, because if you have someone desperate enough to eat a gun, you have someone desperate enough to drive their car into a wall. And suicides are the vast majority of gun related deaths. (In fact, suicides are the vast majority of all non-accidental and non-illness death.)

      So the next time someone quotes you the number of 'gun related deaths', they are either misinformed or attempting to mislead you. Almost 60% of those are completely unstoppable, or at least wouldn't be stopped if we magically made all guns disappear.

      And the number of murders that would remain are, of course, debateable.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    113. Re:Unfortunately ... by Kyani · · Score: 1

      No worries. Sorry about my sand box comment...I knee jerked, my bad.

    114. Re:Unfortunately ... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 1

      No problem, it was actually pretty funny. I chuckled when I read it. :-)

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    115. Re:Unfortunately ... by The_dev0 · · Score: 1
      Wow, I didn't know you didn't need a license to own a gun in the US. That explains a lot.

      My dad is the treasurer at the local gun club, and is also a gunsmith though.

      There you go. You have a vested interest in keeping guns on the street. You've also obviously been brought up in a house that supports the idea that every man deserves the right to keep a deadly weapon. There's nothing I or anyone is going to be able to say to dissuade you from that.

      --
      Never fight naked, unless you're in prison...
    116. Re:Unfortunately ... by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      You've also obviously been brought up in a house that supports the idea that every man deserves the right to keep a deadly weapon.

      You are correct. I'm not likely to be dissuaded. I don't have a vested interest in "keeping guns on the street" though. My dad's hobby hardly qualifies as a vested interest (He's retired).

      From your comment, I assume that every man should not have any deadly weapons. That will make it pretty difficult to cut meat in the kitchen, or drive to work, or shave, or control pests in their garden, or hammer a nail. Guns have a functional use other than killing, and so do all those other tools that enable those legitimate activities, however all can be used for killing.

      Judging a technology based on how it can be used by people is something that most people on Slashdot are very much against. It should be no different with guns. Technology is never good or evil.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    117. Re:Unfortunately ... by The_dev0 · · Score: 1
      That will make it pretty difficult to cut meat in the kitchen, or drive to work, or shave, or control pests in their garden, or hammer a nail. Guns have a functional use other than killing, and so do all those other tools that enable those legitimate activities, however all can be used for killing.

      I Hate this arguement, it is rubbish. All of the objects you mentioned have valid uses that do not involve the taking of life, and I have no problem with people having them. If somebody uses them incorrectly, yes, they could kill, but so does everything. What I have a problem with is people trying to justify the ownership of a deadly weapon that has no other function but to kill. (or practice your killing skill, if you want to bring up target shooting.)

      Judging a technology based on how it can be used by people is something that most people on Slashdot are very much against. It should be no different with guns. Technology is never good or evil.

      I'm with you to a degree, but how does chemical weapons or the like fit into that view? There are no positive uses for those, either.

      --
      Never fight naked, unless you're in prison...
    118. Re:Unfortunately ... by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      What I have a problem with is people trying to justify the ownership of a deadly weapon that has no other function but to kill. (or practice your killing skill, if you want to bring up target shooting.)

      I bet if you asked biathalon gold metalists in the olympics if their sport had anything to do with killing you would be laughed out of there. Firearm sports are a huge (and organized) thing. It has nothing to do with killing any more than golf has to do with killing.

      I'm with you to a degree, but how does chemical weapons or the like fit into that view?

      Chemical weapons as a technology are neither good nor evil. Mustard gas was an early chemotherapy for cancer. I'm sure you meant chemical weapons in devices meant to deploy them in massively deadly ways, however. Inherently, even the weapons are neither good nor evil, but that isn't particularly relevant.

      You are asking me to draw a defensible practical limit to the rights... OK!

      If chemical weapons had leigitmate sporting uses, or legitimate personal self defense uses, then I would fight for the right to own them too. Obviously a military level chemical weapon cannot be deployed in personal self defense ways, nor used in sport in any meaningful way. They are rightly classified as weapons of mass destruction.

      You will likely argue that some guns fit this criteria also. I agree. Fully automatic firearms, exploding bullets, armor penetrating bullets... that stuff is already illegal. No need for new laws on that account.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
  3. umm by Pros_n_Cons · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is it just me or is the UK now the free nation America use to be. now they are the home of the free and land of.. well 1 out of 2 ain't bad.

    --

    -- "of course thats just my opinion, I could be wrong." --Dennis Miller
    1. Re:umm by yatest5 · · Score: 1
      Is it just me or is the UK now the free nation America use to be. now they are the home of the free and land of.. well 1 out of 2 ain't bad.

      It seems to me (not a troll, honest) but all of the 'rights' granted to Americans seem to empower the worst people. See 'right to have guns' and 'right to sue the asss of anyone for anything' for details. Althoguh the UK is getting much of the latters nowadays.

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    2. Re:umm by matthew.thompson · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Hope and Glory.

      --
      Matt Thompson - Actuality - Insert product here.
    3. Re:umm by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Except for that whole cameras everywhere you turn thing...And that law forcing you to hand over crypto keys and passwords to the govt.
      Which brings me to something I was thinking about before, Whats worse:
      1) A govt that forces you to give them your keys when they ask.
      or
      2) A govt that dosnt ask or inform you in any way, but instead uses tools like Magic Lantern to get them?

      --
      Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
    4. Re:umm by nich37ways · · Score: 1

      No, they are doing their best to imitate American laws after seeing how well the American Poly's got more power from their new laws

      --
      37 - what does it stand for really...
    5. Re:umm by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      The UK is just as bad for different reasons.

      The US tends to subjugate the individual in favour of corporations. The weak are punished because the government rewards the powerful.

      The UK on the other hand does the opposite. It passes "nanny state" laws. These are created with the best of intentions, but tend to allow the authoties far too much information about our private lives.

    6. Re:umm by MrFredBloggs · · Score: 5, Insightful

      >Except for that whole cameras everywhere you turn thing

      Hows the hunt for the sniper going? Any idea how many people he would have been able to kill in the UK before he`d have been caught?
      Heard of David Copeland? He's the guy who bombed and killed/injured gays/blacks in the UK a few years ago. He worked alone but was still caught after `only` three attacks. He was the only consistant person on film in the three locations at the appropriate date/time.
      Or do you think that it's worth letting people like him get away with it with no chance of arrest other than waiting for him to make a mistake (like in your sniper case), because the horrible loss of rights by people being..uh..filmed while walking in a public place outweighs the advantages?

    7. Re:umm by Pros_n_Cons · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Sounds good in theory, but us Americans are paranoid, What most of us are scared of is not being filmed for defensive reasons like you point out, more jumpy on what it could turn into. Do you want a ticket sent to you monthly cause some camera caught you doing 55 in a 50 zone without your seat belt on since they were hard pressed to reach thier violation quota for the month?
      Ben Franklin once said anyone who wants security over freedom deserves neither, and I happen to think the guy was onto something.

      --

      -- "of course thats just my opinion, I could be wrong." --Dennis Miller
    8. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On the other hand, we can gamble tax free in the UK...

    9. Re:umm by MrFredBloggs · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "Do you want a ticket sent to you monthly cause some camera caught you doing 55 in a 50 zone without your seat belt on since they were hard pressed to reach thier violation quota for the month?"

      The UK (or more specifically, London) is about to introduce `congenstion charging` - that is, charging drivers money to enter the centre of London in a bid to reduce unneccessary traffic. This is being done with cameras and number plate recognition. People are complaining because they don't want to pay, not really because of any civil liberty concerns - we've generally accepted that as being a price worth paying.

      And don't underestimate the cost of speeding cars, either - it kills more people than many other crimes (ie terrorism, murder etc). Death/injury rises exponentially with speed increase (not linearly), so for example the difference between 30 and 35 mph results is many greater deaths. Given that only a tiny number of journeys are so important that the it makes the risk of death/injury worthwhile, I believe it's worth the inconvenience to drivers. And if you have to use cameras to enforce the law, rather than the quaint idea of employing thousands of police with speed guns, then so be it.

      re: your Franklin quote - i don't believe that the use of cameras DOES infringe your freedom, as they do not stop you from doing anything - they just make it easier to see that you were doing it at a late point. Given that they`ll be used in court, in front of a jury, then if you can see a problem with any given piece of film now, then its rather patronizing to think that a jury member won't have a similar problem with it at a later date when its being used as evidence against someone. A second point on the same issue - i personally have increased security and freedom when walking in an area covered by security cameras. But perhaps you`ve not been robbed at knifepoint? I think you might feel differently if you had (like I have, in Brixton - the shittiest part of London, with a huge street crime problem). People feel (and statistically are) safer in areas with cameras - do you perhaps have any statistics showing that people have less security and freedom?

    10. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      He's a _sniper_ shooting from a distance in wooded areas. Do you propose we erect a grid of cameras to cover the entire country, both rural, suburban, and wooded?

      Maybe we should put government run cameras in our homes too. Because by your theory, we should be willing to give up our rights so the government can cacth criminals.

    11. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the US, they don't use knives.
      And yes, I have been robbed at gun point. Very frightening when the other person isn't behaving logically. The robber wasn't very happy to get $12 from me and I had to bum some money for lunch.

      If only I'd had my 9mm, then it would have turned out differently!
      Here's the answer, everyone in the US **must** carry a gun. I bet we'd all be polite then. Just think, if everyone you saw had a gun, wouldn't you be much nicer?

    12. Re:umm by joebp · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Do you want a ticket sent to you monthly cause some camera caught you doing 55 in a 50 zone without your seat belt on since they were hard pressed to reach thier violation quota for the month?
      Erm, so you're saying you should be able to break the law if there isn't a cop around?

      And are you saying that you'd resent getting caught breaking two laws by a machine as opposed to a person?

    13. Re:umm by gowen · · Score: 2
      Do you want a ticket sent to you monthly cause some camera caught you doing 55 in a 50 zone
      No, but I'm a cyclist, so if you're doing 55 in a 50 zone, you're damn right I want you ticketed. If you can't pay the fine, don't do the crime.
      --
      Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
    14. Re:umm by Toraz+Chryx · · Score: 2

      There is of course the counterpoint that 5mph is the width of the needle in some cars, methinks tighter regulation on speedometers could be a good idea?

    15. Re:umm by StressedEd · · Score: 1
      If only I'd had my 9mm, then it would have turned out differently!


      How would have it turned out differently?


      Does carrying a gun stop you getting shot?

      --
      Be nice to people on the way up. You will meet them again on your way down!
    16. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      except a bomber (unless he is using a rocket) has to physically place a bomb where it will go off.

      a sniper could be up to 1/2mile away from his/her target. not so good for cameras if he's hiding in a bush somwehere...

      Although cameras don't bother me much - except when my drunken antics are sold to a tv company for some `comedy` video show, I've mixed opinions on their use. In the middle of an unprovoked kicking I heard my assailants say "Look a camera, leg it". The camera was pointing the other way...

    17. Re:umm by Coke+in+a+Can · · Score: 1
      Erm, so you're saying you should be able to break the law if there isn't a cop around?
      Trust me, it's the best time. (I believe that's a dogbert quote, from the TV episode where the engineers learn of a better job at a different company)
    18. Re:umm by Pros_n_Cons · · Score: 1

      You kinda missed the main point, I don't think the cameras are a huge problem as they stand but what they could turn into. Maybe we should have cameras in our house because of all these domestic disputes? Sounds far fetched I know. But see if it still seems far fetched after you've lived 10 years with cameras all around you, or your kids grow up with cameras in school, they'd think very little of that law being passed then.

      And no I cant provide you any statistics seeing as that I agree its not currently a problem, But I can tell you that I did ALOT of bad things as a teenager and since there was no camera to catch me, I ended up growing out of that phaze and going onto college, instead of prison.

      --

      -- "of course thats just my opinion, I could be wrong." --Dennis Miller
    19. Re:umm by dipipanone · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Do you want a ticket sent to you monthly cause some camera caught you doing 55 in a 50 zone without your seat belt on since they were hard pressed to reach thier violation quota for the month?

      I see, so what you're saying is that you want to break the laws that you don't feel like obeying with impunity, while resevering the right to whine when the state can't enforce the ones that you think are important? I rather like that idea, and see that it's becoming increasingly popular with many US citizens.

      You can keep the driving laws for yourself then, and I'll excuse myself from accounting and securities fraud, if that's OK with you? Who needs a pension anyway?

      But woe betide anyone who breaches my copyright. Hanging is too good for them!

    20. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      • a sniper could be up to 1/2mile away from his/her target. not so good for cameras if he's hiding in a bush somwehere...

      Except that 'sniper' is overrated for this guy. If you watch the news, this guy is firing from no more than 50 yards away. Also the authorities are placing a tremendous amount attention towards the white van he drives. This is a classic case where cameras would have helped catch this guy long ago. Its about time we wake up and get them here, we've had our heads stuck in the sand for far too long.
    21. Re:umm by dipipanone · · Score: 1

      How would have it turned out differently?

      When the guy who robbed him drew on him, he would have went for his nine. Ultimately then, it would have been a matter of who was quickest on the draw.

      As the robber already had his gun out, he'd have had the advantage and so would almost certainly have shot someone who was reaching for his weapon.

      How would have it turned out differently?

      Instead of being robbed of 12 dollars, he'd almost certainly have been shot -- and quite possibly killed.

    22. Re:umm by Mr_Dyqik · · Score: 3, Informative

      Speedometers are already regulated so that they are allowed to read 10 percent over the actual speed, but not a jot under the actual speed. So most speedos read 10 percent high. So to be caught doing 65 in a 60 zone (the UK doesn't have much in the way of 50 zones, but out of town single lane roads are generally 60 limits), the speedo would probably be reading 70+.

    23. Re:umm by Pros_n_Cons · · Score: 1

      or the Robber would have seen the gun sticking out of the guy's pocket and went to pick on the old lady with the walker.

      Robbers with guns are cowards, why else would they have a fu*king gun!

      Texas allowed ppl to carry firearms and violent crimes immediatly went down. Robbers would rather go out and get a job than risk a gun fight. Did'nt you ever hit the bully back when you were a kid? you should have it would have taught you soemthing in life.

      --

      -- "of course thats just my opinion, I could be wrong." --Dennis Miller
    24. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not really, not with right to silence abolished, right to trial by jury, double jepoardy laws, libel laws which allow the rich to tie up news papers in expensive court cases ..

    25. Re:umm by iainl · · Score: 1

      "or the Robber would have seen the gun sticking out of the guy's pocket"

      Possibly. However, if there aren't any convenient old ladies to mug, then he might just move straight to the shooting part, rather than risk the chances of not getting first shot in.

      "Did'nt you ever hit the bully back when you were a kid?"

      Once. Then I learned that standing around making a poor attempt at fighting got my arse handed to me, while running away just made me feel a bit out of breath. That seemed a much better plan. Besides, my plan didn't involve persuading the bully to go pick on an old lady instead.

      --
      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
    26. Re:umm by Nexus+Seven · · Score: 1

      So how does he get the "wooded area"? Does he live there?

      The point of the Soho bombings in London was that the bomber was seen approaching or leaving the neigbourhood on each occasion - the only person in the right place every time. In the sniper case, cameras at major road junctions would have done just as well - simply look for a vehicle that appears in the correct places at the correct time - shouldn't take more than a few days to do this cross-check.

      You don't need video of the person actually committing the crime. Evidence that they were known to be in the locations on more than one occassion is a pretty powerful indictment.

    27. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...home of the brave people who have suffered more bombing attrocities than the US...while many US citizens actually contribute money to these terrorists.

      I'm not putting down 11th Sept attrocity, just want to make sure the many people in the UK who have lost family over the years get some recognition.....most of this IRA stuff happened before I was born.

      As for the cameras, there is statistically more crime in London than New York...we need them!

    28. Re:umm by Dean+Sas · · Score: 1

      "Do you want a ticket sent to you monthly cause some camera caught you doing 55 in a 50 zone without your seat belt on since they were hard pressed to reach thier violation quota for the month?"
      anyone retarded enough to do that should get what they deserve quota or no quota

    29. Re:umm by shanewarneiskweer · · Score: 1

      In Britain we had a man who went nuts in Brixton with a knige and attacked about 5 people, some quite seriously. In America he would have had the legal right "to bear arms"!

    30. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is it just me or is the UK now the free nation America use to be. now they are the home of the free and land of..
      The brave? no we don't have any native Americans here - mind you, neither does America, another case for state sponsored genocide.
      The English army has fought America's last two foreign wars for them, they are the only troops left in Afghanistan, they'll be fighting the gulf for them too, when it happens. America has never 'won' a war that it has started on foreign soil.....land of the brave my ass!

    31. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This may be true, but the fact remains; we have the best beer.

    32. Re:umm by RonVNX · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Uhm... Yes.

    33. Re:umm by CrystalFalcon · · Score: 2

      The UK is not particularly free in respect of the recent increase in surveillance. However, your observation is interesting. I am going to ask you three provocative questions:

      1) Have you heard anybody who has lived for a substantial time out of America, or otherwise have a good possibility to compare the U.S. to other (Western) countries, say that America is the "land of the Free"?

      2) Who, in America, tells the citizens that the land is "the land of the Free" and values Freedom above all?

      3) Can you think of any other countries where citizens believe their country sticks out in some respect because of repeated assertions of this fact and the incapacity to verify said fact?

    34. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wouldn't a gun have cost more than $12?

      >Just think, if everyone you saw had a gun, wouldn't you be much nicer?

      I`d be more scared, thats for sure.

    35. Re:umm by MrFredBloggs · · Score: 1

      "Maybe we should put government run cameras in our homes too. Because by your theory, we should be willing to give up our rights so the government can cacth criminals."

      Well no, because thats not a public place, is it. Try not to lose your sense of perspective. Ditto for people who say `this is the beginning, think what could happen in the future`. Well, we can decide that then, can't we?

    36. Re:umm by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      The reason it's becoming popular is because we have so many intolerable laws on the books, that if they were all enforced 100%, we would like in a complete facist state, and probably 50% or more of the population would be in jail at any one time.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    37. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, then you get to sit back and watch this guy kill a few more people...then a few other guys go `yeah, why kill 5 people in one go then kill myself/get shot by the police, when i can do it this way and not die but just give up`. Frankly i'm suprised the guy(s) don't drive all over america (in rented cars so they can't be traced leaving the scene of the crime) rather than being restricted to one area. Perhaps they have jobs too?

    38. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think your argument fails for the same reason that the argument to step up American Airline security as the Isrealis did for thier airlines fails. America is a huge country with a lot of roads. Many of the places this sniper can establish a shot have more than one way to arrive at. Again, is it reasonable to set up a camera in every locale? I think not.

    39. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Allowing citizens to carry guns may raise the risk of gunfights, but the robber of convience now moves into a harsher crime: murder.

      I think when confronted with the choice between robbery and murder, the penalties associated with murder will make many common thieves think twice.

    40. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Give me liberty, or give me death." It saddens me so many people lately think the ends justifies the means. People gave their lives willingly to protect a way of life some are ready to give up now just because there's a nutcase with a gun running around.

      I'd throw in the Ben Franklin quote, but then some moronator would rate me redundant.

    41. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're the cyclist who gets in my way all the time riding 30 mph below the speed limit (I live in a very hilly area), then I want YOU ticketed and off the roadway.

    42. Re:umm by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      And the worst customer service, although decent pubs tend to be better in this respect.

      Do I prefer England, where I can't get decent service, or even an acknowledgent from shop staff, or the US where the beer is served chilled to numb the tastebuds so you can't taste how horrible it actually is?

    43. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      A) I don't believe in seat belt laws except for minors. Seat belt laws are a regulation of personal safety. While it may be argued that wearing seat belts reduces the severity of an accident, and thus the cost of the public safety response, it does nothing to ensure the safety of other drivers. If I hit you, I've already hit you, regardless if I'm flying out of my front windshield or not. Should we not then make it illegal to run with scissors? Seat belt laws are a means of increasing fines to raise money for large beauracracies.

      B) I also don't believe in fixed speed limits. There are times when the limits should be fluid. Why should I drive 50mph on a road which is empty of other vehicles or pedestrians? Why should I become an obstacle when the traffic flow around me is 5mph over the speed limit? The fact that I've been on the highway and had a police car draft me when I was going 10mph over the speed limit and then he didn't pull me over, he just wanted me out of the way, gives me re-assurance that many police officers feel the same way. I'd rather have the humanity of a policeman over the coldness of a machine. One which may not even be calibrated correctly.

    44. Re:umm by gowen · · Score: 1
      If you're the cyclist who gets in my way all the time riding 30 mph below the speed limit (I live in a very hilly area), then I want YOU ticketed and off the roadway.
      Either you haven't learned basic overtaking maneuvers, or the cyclist is an inconsiderate tosser ... One of you should definitely be off the roads.
      --
      Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
    45. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's an inconsiderate tosser. He rides nearly down the center of the driving lane, and the road is fairly heavily travelled. He has no license, which I presume means he isn't actually allowed to be on the roadway in the first place. And traffic does back up as people do their best to get around him.

    46. Re:umm by gorilla · · Score: 2

      Actually the number of cameras is about the same per capita when you compare the US and the UK. What's different is that the US has lots of malls, and the UK has comparatibly few, with most stores on the high street.

    47. Re:umm by gowen · · Score: 1
      He's an inconsiderate tosser
      Run the bastard over: it's the only language they understand. I hate inconsiderate cyclists -- they give the rest of us a bad name.
      --
      Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
    48. Re:umm by Nexus+Seven · · Score: 1

      Crimes like this, by their very nature, tend to occur in built up areas. You don't have to put cameras on every road - just set them up in the cities and urban areas.

    49. Re:umm by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 2
      Who, in America, tells the citizens that the land is "the land of the Free" and values Freedom above all?
      License plates.
    50. Re:umm by rtscts · · Score: 1
      And are you saying that you'd resent getting caught breaking two laws by a machine as opposed to a person?

      Yes. Requiring a human to enforce the laws is an effective reality check against stupid ones. There are only so many humans to go around, so you'd better spend them on the things that matter than stupid shit like doing 5 over the speed limit on an empty 6 lane road at 2am.
    51. Re:umm by Sobrique · · Score: 1

      Speed limits are stupid anyway. Throw them all out and just use 'dangerous driving'. That way, 130 down a clear motorway at 5am is not (necessarily) an offense, but sticking to the 30 when there are kids running across the road cos school has just finished is.
      And here they have some fun articles about speed traps. My personal favourite is the one about the barrister (lawyer) who took the speed gun, pointed it at the courtroom wall, and got a reading of 8 miles per hour....

    52. Re:umm by Sobrique · · Score: 1

      Give me the beer. Why would one want to talk to some monkey in a shop who want's to be there as much as you'd want to.

    53. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Common theives don't think, and thats the problem. If they could think, they wouldn't be out on the street pointing a gun at you and risking 5 - 10 for a handful of crumples dollar bills. Do you think a crack addict who is strung out and after a couple of dollars will give a shit if you get shot? Nopes.

    54. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why should I drive 50mph on a road which is empty of other vehicles or pedestrians?

      Because of that blind blend up ahead with the overhanging tree that covers the road in leaves in Autumn...oh, too late, I see you've found out about it.

      Get the point?

    55. Re:umm by glesga_kiss · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Death/injury rises exponentially with speed increase (not linearly), so for example the difference between 30 and 35 mph results is many greater deaths.

      I also live in the UK, and I know where you likely get this impression from: the advert with the kid getting knocked down. It's horrific and makes me particularly angry.

      There are a number of falacies in this campaign, added to greaten the shock value. Did you notice how the car had it's wheels locked when braking? Well, locking the wheels makes your brakes next-to-useless. Notice how the car was quite old? No ABS. It's far from a modern representation of what would happen in that situation, in either a newer car, or if the driver had actually passed the emergency stop section of the driving test.

      Now, I'm not saying doing 35 in a 30 is a good thing, I'm particularly careful about my speed in built-up areas, because the fatality rate between these two speeds of pedestrians is a huge leap. However, death/injury does not rise exponentially with speed generally, only in the case of hitting a pedestrian. But for motorway driving, the risk difference between 70 mph and 90 mph does not follow an exponential curve at all. Far from it.

      Cameras for road policing IMO are a bad idea, except 30-mph speed cameras and red-light cameras, especially at accident blackspots. A camera can not pick up an erratic drunk driver. It cannot run a check on the car/driver to see if they have outstanding warants. It cannot detect false plates that don't match the make/model of the car. It cannot detect dangerously overloaded cars. It cannot detect 5 children squeezed into the back seat.

      They should never be used as a replacement for real police in real cars. Only a suppliment.

    56. Re:umm by Majikkan · · Score: 1

      Freedom or safety. You can't have both.

    57. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean the bend which I come across each day on my way home from work? How stupid of me, it's not like I've been driving this course for the past 5 years.

    58. Re:umm by AlecC · · Score: 2

      Disagree. If the law is a bad law, repeal the law. What you are saying is either that your democracy isn't working (you can't get a bad law repealed) or you don't believe in democracy (you don't want to obey a law which has been democratically passed by your neighbours). I don't think you meant to sayeither, but that is what comes out from your post.

      I don't believe you should pick and choose laws. You should either obey the law, or say that the law is so bad that you are going to brazenly and intentionally break it and take the consequences (like laws sending Jews to the gas chambers). Sly lawbreaking is morally wrong, even if you do not feel morally wrong to break that particular law, because it is refusing to live by the standards of your community.

      Could work too. If *everybody* who likes the occasional quiet reefer went to smoke one outside their locak polices station, the system would break down at once, because they couldn't possible arrest 10%-25% of the population. But of course, if only one in ten did, tehy could arrest those.

      --
      Consciousness is an illusion caused by an excess of self consciousness.
    59. Re:umm by AlecC · · Score: 2

      One of the common factors of all the shootings - one of the few common factors - is that they all took place very close to major highways and intersections with large amounts of traffic, whcih would make the volume of data much larger. The guy is probably clever and has learned from the Soho bombing etc. He is probably deeply obsessive and has planned this for months. Maybe, knowing the police are looking for white vans, he has nipped out and bought a red convertible? Which would explain why he hasn't been seen. Twisted he may be, but stupid he doesn't look.

      --
      Consciousness is an illusion caused by an excess of self consciousness.
    60. Re:umm by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
      As for the cameras, there is statistically more crime in London than New York...we need them!

      Cameras and statistics don't go well together. If you increace camera coverage, you increase the amount of recorded crime, because you are recording more. If the stats go down, the chances are the crime has moved elsewhere.

      What's that famous quote...? Lie, damn lies and statistics. ;-)

    61. Re:umm by MrFredBloggs · · Score: 1

      Your points about braking are not relevant when discussing the effects of hitting an object at speed x vs speed y. For the purpose of what I wrote, assume the driver was too busy using their phone, or the child ran out from behind a van or something. (All drivers have passed the emergency stop part of a test, but then no drivers use the phone, or have a conversation with friends, or apply make up, or look at maps etc during a test).

      "However, death/injury does not rise exponentially with speed generally, only in the case of hitting a pedestrian"

      I was only concerned with cars hitting pedestrians in my point. Clearly at higher speeds you reach a point where the difference is less marked, as the chance of survival decreases. Even so, statistically you are better off in an accident where the speeds are smaller, not larger (though there are exceptions where the extra speed throws you away from another, more damaging impact. But this is a little like the `if i'd worn a seatbelt i`d have been killed` argument, which conveniently overlooks the fact that some people who didn't wear a seatbelt won't be able to take part in that conversation - they'd be dead!).

      >A camera can not pick up an erratic drunk driver

      False. With software, one could potentially pick up signs that someone is drunk - maybe they are sticking very close to the speed limit, or are not correcting their steering as often. I`ve hardly looked into it, but it sounds perfectly possible to identify possibly drunk/stoned/sleepy drivers and check them out more closely/breath test them.

      >It cannot run a check on the car/driver to see if they have outstanding warants

      The congestion charging system does just such a lookup to see if they`ve paid. Its hardly beyond the realms of possibility to look up all sorts of info based on the information retrieved from the numberplate.

      >It cannot detect 5 children squeezed into the back seat.

      That doesn't cause a problem for other road users, so i don't really care. But given the recent problems with cars being photographed speeding but drivers getting off because the pictures aren't clear enough to see who was driving, i`m sure the answer lies in higher definition photography.

      >They should never be used as a replacement for real police in real cars. Only a suppliment.

      Sure, I agree with that. Have computers do mindless checking of speed, and have humans check them out more closely before starting a potentially expensive court action.

    62. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, you wouldn't be the first to use it in this thread, so clearly it would be redundant. Exactly what freedom are you losing by having cameras in public places. You already have...the public there. You have the police. Nothing would be taking place which isn't already happening, it would just be more efficient. Its like the old story:

      Guy: Would you sleep with me for £1,000,000?
      Gal: Uh..yeah, i guess.
      Guy: Ok, would you sleep with me for £5?
      Gal: Of course not, what kind of person do you think I am?
      Guy: We've already established what sort of person you are - we`re merely haggling over the price!

    63. Re:umm by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
      Sure, agreed on most points. I only really cited that advert because it's a pet hate of mine. I understand that shock tactics sometimes work, but is it really recessary to cause so much depression by showing images like that to make your point?

      With software, one could potentially pick up signs that someone is drunk

      Wouldn't work; far too many false positives. If a driver swerves to avoid a child, something on the road, is distracted by their own passengers, lights a cigarette and so on, this system would be triggered. Image recognition and AI hasn't gotten to the point it could do this reliably and throw away the times where it wasn't the fault of the driver.

      Also, the police would then have to stop a driver within a short time (what if they are sober, go home and have a drink?) to get a breathiser sample. You'd need an entire police force merely to track these people down, unless there is global location surveilence, which is a very scary road to go down...

      Mind you, a system like this could be used to detect bad motorway driving, another pet hate of mine, as careless driving cause almost all motorway collisions. A system to monitor lane discipine and correct signalling would get my vote!

    64. Re:umm by jez9999 · · Score: 0

      America was founded on these values, and back in the days of the Founding Fathers, it probably WAS the land of the free, compared to other (European) countries. But Lincoln et al would be *turning in their graves* if they saw what the government in America was doing to civil privacy rights nowadays.

    65. Re:umm by MrFredBloggs · · Score: 1

      Shock tactics are surely justified if it helps get a genuine message across. So i`d agree with you about the squashed-child ad if it were talking solely about speed, but not braking, assuming you are correct about the mechanics of ABS etc.

      re the drunk driving thing - i believe the system is either in place, or planned, to catch speeders by spotting that a car was on camera in London at 3pm and in Derby at 4.15, and working out that you`d have to speed to get from A to B in that time. Assuming you do have some sort of persistant data to do this, then its a small step to profiling a drivers habits over time. So sure, one swerve now and then is pretty normal, but if the same car swerves (or does other actions consistant with tired/stoned etc drivers) multiple times on multiple occasions then perhaps the driver should be more closely observed.

      I think a solution to much crime, including but by no means limited to dangerous driving, would be having relatively large numbers of people with absolutely no power of arrest or entering a property having digital cameras and filming bad drivers, muggers (or people acting like they might be about to mug or pickpocket people) etc - in addition to the existing cameras on roads and shopping areas - and if/when they do catch something potentially/obviously illegal they give/upload the info to the police. After a while, and with some sort of slashdot style karma system (clearly this would be abused, so faking stuff, harassing people etc would need some sort of deterrent), the police would have a handy source of info - far more than the police themselves could come up with without a ridiculous increase in numbers which they could use to follow up more closely the people involved. Done properly, with the consent of the public (ie as an extension of neighbourhood watch) i`m sure this could be implemented reasonably well. Its just an idea i`ve been wondering about, anyway!

    66. Re:umm by glesga_kiss · · Score: 2
      i believe the system is either in place, or planned, to catch speeders by spotting that a car was on camera in London at 3pm and in Derby at 4.15, and working out that you`d have to speed to get from A to B in that time

      That really scares me. It's only one tiny step away from a personal tracking system. All they would need to do is run a search on your number plate to find out where you were. If that ever happens, I'm getting personallised number plates that won't work with the optical character recognition.

      with some sort of slashdot style karma system

      Lot's of other things would also work well with the Slashdot karma system. Imagine if politics followed the same system, discussions in Parliment etc. It would be amazing and so much more productive, especially if the politions karma were to be printed on the ballot paper!

    67. Re:umm by rtscts · · Score: 1
      What you are saying is either that your democracy isn't working

      a) no such thing: we vote for representatives, b) doesn't matter if citizen involvement is direct or represented, people are stupid and bad laws will exist regardless.

      I don't believe you should pick and choose laws

      I believe it is my right to refuse to obey bad laws.

      brazenly and intentionally break it and take the consequences (like laws sending Jews to the gas chambers)

      Consequences my arse. If I was told to gas jews, that I had no right to fair trial, free speech, right to privacy, etc. I'd make a beeline for the nearest weapon(s) and deal as much damage to The Man as I possibly could. Senile old senators with stupid pet laws must consider what they prefer: their attempt to recapture the '50s, or their life.

      Sly lawbreaking is morally wrong

      Bullshit. Being a chickenshit and obeying bad laws because you might go to jail is morally repugnant.

      because it is refusing to live by the standards of your community

      If my community are against or indifferent to their right to privacy they can get fucked.

      Could work too. If *everybody* who likes the occasional quiet reefer went to smoke one outside their locak polices station, the system would break down at once, because they couldn't possible arrest 10%-25% of the population. But of course, if only one in ten did, tehy could arrest those.

      True, but: a) most people are wussies, b) there are too many people who want complete social control, c) bad laws just go unenforced in these cases, rarely revoked.
    68. Re:umm by MrFredBloggs · · Score: 1

      >That really scares me.

      Can't find stuff online to back up my suspicions, but keep an eye out for it in the news in the coming months/years. Lets face it, this is going to spread, and will no doubt be extended to human faces when the tech is good enough (its getting there). Only where people are concerned you`d need some sort of personalised face! Perhaps it'll give cosmetic surgery a new lease of life, and who knows - perhaps a cosmetic surgeon would need a license, and would have to keep before/after photos for the police!

    69. Re:umm by antistuff · · Score: 1

      freedom isnt free, and sometimes the cost of freedom is death. so maybe your not willing to pay any price for your freedom, so then move to a place with no freedom like stalinist russia. oh wait, not willing to pay that much of a price for your not freedom are you? ide rather be free and be threatened by people, than be not free and be threatened by the state.

    70. Re:umm by jez9999 · · Score: 0

      Your opening paragraph is laughable.

      The UK (or more specifically, London) is about to introduce `congenstion charging` - that is, charging drivers money to enter the centre of London in a bid to reduce unneccessary traffic.
      A totally ludicrous idea, which will do nothing to help the economy, or encourage people to use shit public transport.

      This is being done with cameras and number plate recognition. People are complaining because they don't want to pay, not really because of any civil liberty concerns
      Too bloody right they are, and so should they be! It's a stupid idea dreampt up by Ken Livingstone and other lefties.

      - we've generally accepted that as being a price worth paying.
      I never accepted that. I didn't vote for Ken Livingstone, and apparently, many other people don't like the idea either.

      By the way, the congestion charge has NOTHING to do with reducing road deaths. There aint gonna be many deaths in the centre of London where the traffic rarely rises above 10mph.

      Also, they're not using *existing* cameras to check the plates of cars entering London's center - they're having to spend MILLIONS on a new load of cameras, computer systems, etc, invalidating your whole point.

    71. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's kind of the whole point. The very _idea_ of a surveillance society is un-American. There's plenty of places (like the UK) where people seem OK with it, and that's fine with me.

      But over here, it's spitting on our ideals. We consider "only the guilty need be worried" to be a bullshit argument, one that makes sense only to an overreaching government that's more interested in serving itself than its people. Mind you, there are some places it's happened already. New York City is getting wired for video, and there are continuous (albeit small) protests against it. There's one fellow who organizes a tour of those monstrosities every weekend.

    72. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      seems like there's just a bunch of cowards with little dicks living in the US.

      Why else would you guys need to show off big guns every 2 years other than trying to hide your insecurity?

    73. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're also free to be a moron, which is a right you seem to be exercising admirably

    74. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      it's spitting on our ideals.

      What fucking ideals? You've done nothing but put shame to the ideals the country was once founded upon.

    75. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I believe it is my right to refuse to obey bad laws.

      That is your right.

      And then you pay the price for that right.

    76. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha. If you're an American, I'm ashamed to call you one of our own. You don't deserve to be one. You're a disgrace.

    77. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha. I see patriotic brain wash has worked well for you. Congratulations.

    78. Re:umm by drinkypoo · · Score: 2
      Which brings me to something I was thinking about before, Whats worse: 1) A govt that forces you to give them your keys when they ask. or 2) A govt that dosnt ask or inform you in any way, but instead uses tools like Magic Lantern to get them?

      I personally prefer the latter by a great deal. At least there's an air of romance to it. You know, like in Sneakers. Everyone wants to be like Robert Redford playing an extremely intelligent character. Well, he doesn't look so suave these days, but you know what I'm talking about.

      More to the point, if you (you meaning the group of real people) are smarter than the government, you can work within the system or weasel around it and live a very happy life. If you think about it, you can get away with doing most of the things they don't want you to do without even being that smart. You can do a few of the things they really don't want you to do with some considerable but not outrageous effort. You can do almost anything you bloody well want if you put enough time and effort into it. This is all they're really trying to accomplish... raising the bar.

      Unfortunately they also put up all kinds of stupid obstacles to impede your way of life because of what they think is "right"... separation of church and state my ass. People move with their convictions, and those convictions are rarely "personal freedom above all".

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    79. Re:umm by CrystalFalcon · · Score: 2

      I agree wholeheartedly. As much as I think the US is hypocritical over freedom today, equally much I agree that when founded, it was as close to the perfect land to live in as you could get at the time.

      I don't know when the (real) value of freedom disappeared, but it was definitely gone during the McCarthy era (when you were not allowed to think what you wanted anymore, much less express those thoughts) and probably onwards from there.

      One might recall the Prohibition, too.

    80. Re:umm by drinkypoo · · Score: 2
      You may have missed the point that we have a lot of dumb laws. Fraud makes sense, certain speed limits do not. Someone driving fast isn't necessarily the problem. Instead we should be aggressively ticketing bad drivers - Those who run red lights (I have no problem with cameras on phone poles as long as they're only being used for red light runners) and who drive too fast in unsafe conditions, or most importantly, those who use the far left lane so they can go the same (slow) speed without hassle, or also perhaps those people who are not paying attention and lane drifting, perhaps because they are talking on a cellphone.

      Put simply we are enforcing the wrong traffic laws. Even in areas with cellphone statutes you see people jawing on cellphones all fucking day. Around here (Marysville, CA, USA) it seems like every tenth driver is holding a cellphone up to their head. Some of them are even driving a stick, I don't understand it. (Stupid jokes about driving sticks can be shoved up your you know who.) And the people who really make roads dangerous (and inconvenient) are those who do not vacate the fast lane immediately, or pull over and let you go by on a road which is short some lanes.

      The real problem is that Americans are undereducated assholes. The USA ain't germany, we can't handle the Autobahn. Still, if we punished the people who are actually the problem, we could do a lot better. Instead we have a revenue-producing system based on writing speeding tickets.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    81. Re:umm by Toraz+Chryx · · Score: 1

      I was talking more of the fact that some speedos aren't precise about the exact speed they're displaying, at a quick glance at least, so the driver might not be aware of precisely how fast they're going.

    82. Re:umm by mpe · · Score: 2

      You kinda missed the main point, I don't think the cameras are a huge problem as they stand but what they could turn into. Maybe we should have cameras in our house because of all these domestic disputes? Sounds far fetched I know. But see if it still seems far fetched after you've lived 10 years with cameras all around you, or your kids grow up with cameras in school, they'd think very little of that law being passed then.

      Alternativly you go for David Brin's idea of camera's everywhere, but accessable to anyone. Thus you have no "watcher" group. Anyone could be watcher or watchee.
      Human nature being what it is the most watched people would be celebrities and politicans, might even keep the latter honest. Less chance of the married politican preaching "family values" whilst enguaging in adultary.

    83. Re:umm by JonK · · Score: 1
      It is already in place: I either heard on the Today program or read in one of Rod Liddle (sometime Today editor)'s columns in the Grauniad a few months back about one of the Today staffers who drove down the M11 every night at 3-4am to be in London for the start of the show. Predictably, there's little traffic about at that time of the night so said staffer wasn't *particularly* careful about observing the speed limits - until they got hit with a slew of tickets. Seems that the cameras on bridges are now being used to calculate average speeds between two points and automatically churn out fines.

      Whether it'll get rolled out UK-wide is another question, of course... can't see it being too successful on the M1 or M4 on a Friday evening.

      --
      Cheers

      Jon
    84. Re:umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He wasn't making a point, he was explaining to non-Britons why it's being introduced - a distinction which probably went straight over your narrow minded head.

  4. So now the govt will make the records mandatory... by kcbrown · · Score: 5, Insightful
    ...right?

    I mean, the government gets whatever it wants, because it has all the power. It has all the power because it has all the guns, and that is especially true in the UK.

    What differs from country to country is how well the government knows what it wants. If the government in this case is determined enough to pass a law requiring that ISPs keep mandatory records, there's nothing the ISPs can do about it. If the population of the UK is anything like that of the US, the people won't even notice or care.

    I guess the biggest difference between the UK and the US is that the media isn't privately owned to quite the same degree in the UK as it is in the US, right? But that media which isn't owned by private entities is owned by the government, so we get right back to the issue of how much the government itself actually wants this.

    No matter how this turns out, though, I have to give a hand to the ISPs for telling the government where to stick it...

    --
    Use 'slashdot stuff' in the subject line in any email you send me if you want to get past the spam filter.
  5. Question... by GnomeKing · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The question is, WHY did they refuse?

    Was it due to a principle, or was it due to the cost associated with the record keeping?

    Sure, its easy enough to say "well done" and "finally some sense" - but do we really know what motivated them to say no to the voluntary retention of data?

    1. Re:Question... by StefMeister · · Score: 2, Funny

      The question is, WHY did they refuse?

      Maybe they were afraid people wouldn't surf for porn anymore if they could be seen by the government and thus traffic would reduce with 60% :)

      Stef
      --
      "Son, in a sporting event, it's not whether you win or lose, it's how drunk you get" - Homer J. Simpson
    2. Re:Question... by radish · · Score: 2

      According to the article it was for three reasons: cost, privacy and the vagueness of the regulations leading to legal/human rights difficulties.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    3. Re:Question... by hatchet · · Score: 1

      They gained peoples trust this way... and they earned it.
      I bet 90% of people would use internet much less if they knew they are being watched on every move they make.
      On other hand.. if people wouldn't know they are being watched... well... what you don't know, doesn't hurt

    4. Re:Question... by Shimbo · · Score: 2, Informative

      The question is, WHY did they refuse?

      As the article notes, apart from the cost, it is very likely illegal to retain such data. European privacy law prevents you holding such logs longer than necessary to run your business (billing, handling net-abusers etc. - about 1-2 years, tops).

      As the monitoring code isn't statutary yet, it might not afford ISPs a defence against a prosecution under privacy laws.

    5. Re:Question... by elodan · · Score: 1
      The question is, why did they refuse?
      Why is this the question?
      At the moment at least it is sufficient that they've stood up against this request - we don't need to worry about their motivations.

      It's easy to fall into the same trap of cynicism and doubt that the ANTI-privacy campaigners/legislators do when they say
      "Why do you need encryption - are you a terrorist?".

      Things that are wrong need to be stopped. (TM)
      Motivations are unimportant as long as the actions are valid and transparent.

    6. Re:Question... by devonbowen · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Sure, its easy enough to say "well done" and "finally some sense" - but do we really know what motivated them to say no to the voluntary retention of data?

      By supporting their action and citing our reasons, we are making our own statement. This statement is independent of their motivation and one which we might not have been able to make otherwise. I don't see how that hurts.

      Devon

    7. Re:Question... by frp001 · · Score: 1

      This is perfectly obvious :"Cost" and nothing else. The legal matter does not appear to be such an issue when it increases a company's revenue or share value (faulty tax declarations, altered accountancy, etc...)
      I feel sure that if the british government offered extra money or tax deduction for such practices, they would all rush for it.

      --
      May I use your sig please?
    8. Re:Question... by dattaway · · Score: 2

      My old ISP rotated their apache logs every few hours. Why? A tail -f from the shell quickly answered that question. When apache_access_log gets over a gigabyte in a few hours, keeping logs for months would be...interesting.

      They will just let anyone make laws these days.

    9. Re:Question... by Mr_Dyqik · · Score: 2

      Costs here include the possible costs of defending a lawsuit under the Data Protection Act or the Human Rights Act. If the Government asks (rather than requires) the ISPs to do something that may break UK law, then the ISPs are liable for any damges claims etc. Plus they would have to bear the costs of defending themselves.

      Basically there is nothing in it for the ISPs, and even a tax break probably wouldn't make it worth their while.

    10. Re:Question... by frp001 · · Score: 1

      I do not know enough about UK law to accept or refute these arguments.
      However my main point is that ISPs are not making their choices on philantropic grounds.

      --
      May I use your sig please?
    11. Re:Question... by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      I assume it'd only be a few 100k if it wasn't for that damned NIMDA worm... ;-)

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    12. Re:Question... by AlecC · · Score: 2

      Obviously, you cannot read their minds, but the article stated that the govennment had failed to make their case that it would actually contribute to the fight agaisnt terrorism. All the example cases the government were police wanting records more than 15 months old (i.e. longer than the proposed retention) for non-terrorist cases. I think we have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

      --
      Consciousness is an illusion caused by an excess of self consciousness.
  6. Wow. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The UK is the last place I expected to see anyone take a stand against monitoring citizens. Good show.

  7. As they say... by BoBaBrain · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Churchill said it best:
    "Through utilitarian intentions, a moral victory was won."

    --
    I am a Karma Library.
  8. Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by tanveer1979 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    They may claim so. But it is all about control. Logs in hand of govt means logs in hands of big corporations.

    Currently the only free domain is the internet, rest everything from transport to what you eat to what adv you watch is in hands of "control". Such legistlations will eliminate freedom on internet also. This is the beginning, soon more and more rules will come.. like what email you send what chat you do, which software you download

    People call me paranoid... but thats what they called andy too.. and look where intel is ;-)
    --
    My Aurora : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o91ZsGwJYyg
    FB : https://www.facebook.com/TanveersPhotography
    1. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by kerling · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Here in Iceland there are laws that state that isp must keep logs for 2 years at least. And if you are financial institute you must keep everything for 7 years, all emails everything. But we (the isp's) do not give logs away unless there is a rouling in court that says we must give the police or state the logs. But most isp dont keep the logs for more than 6-7 months, and this has not been enforced in many occasion. Until there is a definitive ruling by the suprime court that says we must do this, we don't.

    2. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by MartinB · · Score: 5, Informative
      Logs in hand of govt means logs in hands of big corporations.

      That may or may not happen in the land where the incoming president appoints all his oil business buddies to top government positions, but it sure as hell doesn't happen in the UK. We have a little matter of a Data Protection regime. This may be avoidable by the government when they pass primary legislation such as RIPA, but corporations can't just opt out of it.

      If the data protection registrar discovered that corporations were receiving identifying personal information from non-legitimate sources, their databases would be closed down the same day.

      Really, this is a paranoid red herring.

      --

      The only thing you can accurately describe as "Scotch" is a sticky tape made by 3M. And it's

    3. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by Monty+Worm · · Score: 2
      Currently the only free domain is the internet, rest everything from transport to what you eat to what adv you watch is in hands of "control". Such legistlations will eliminate freedom on internet also. This is the beginning, soon more and more rules will come.. like what email you send what chat you do, which software you download

      Too many people these days seem to mis-understand freedom. Just because an article a reporter writes isn't printed is not freedom-related. It's the editor or owner expressing theirs.

      I freely agree that the governments are getting a little heavy-handed, but many other things are just other people expressing their freedom.

      --
      ... and today's pet project has ... been discarded for lack of time.
    4. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by The+Cydonian · · Score: 1
      People call me paranoid... but thats what they called andy too.. and look where intel is

      Not to be a smartass nitpick, but 'people' didn't call Andy Grove paranoid. It was he who wrote a book titled "Only the paranoid survive". The distinction is crucial. I believe the reason he said this was his experience with Nazi and Communist regimes in Hungary.

    5. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      well, yes and no, the RIP lists a (long) list of organisations that qualify for the ability to request your data without reference to a court.

      Now for counter terrorism I can see an argument for MI5, the police etc but why would my local fire brigade or water authority need this power.

      also listed is "A Universal Service Provider within the meaning of the Postal Services Act 2000" of which there is currently one, consignia which is a PLC. There have been mutterings about other companies getting this accreditation though.

    6. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by andyt · · Score: 1

      That may or may not happen in the land where the incoming president appoints all his oil business buddies to top government positions, but it sure as hell doesn't happen in the UK. We have a little matter of a Data Protection [dataprotection.gov.uk] regime.

      Ever tried applying for credit? If so, then your worthiness will be decided based on information supplied by one of the two big Credit Reference Agencies (Experian and Equifax). One of the main ways they do this is by checking your address against the Voters Register.

      Now me, I don't think that a document listing the names and current addresses (that we, as citizens of the UK, are required to fill out by law) of every person in the country should be available to these two big companies.

      But it is, and they pay the local councils handsomely for the priviledge.

      If the Government can make money by selling information, it will. That's just they way things are. Morals are not exactly at a premium with UK Politicians.

    7. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by hplasm · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but Iceland has always been a very civilised society.

      --
      ...and he grinned, like a fox eating shit out of a wire brush.
    8. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Electoral Register is a public document. Anyone can get a copy, including you. Pop down to your nearest library and ask, they'll tell you where you can read one, or how to get a copy for yourself.

      You do realise you can also request a copy of your credit history from the CRA's? Under the Data Protection Act you can also have them amend any incorrect data that they may hold on you, too.

      If you're going to complain, make sure you're aware of what you're complaining about!

    9. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1

      There are two copies of the Electoral Roll. One is allowed to be sold (yes, sold!) to companies and you can opt out of it. The other lists everyone and is available at libraries etc. but you can only see it, not get a copy.

    10. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
      If so, then your worthiness will be decided based on information supplied by one of the two big Credit Reference Agencies (Experian and Equifax).

      The level of information they store on you is scary. I really admire the data protection act, it acknowledges the fact that people store personal data, forces them to register the fact that they are doing it and most importantly allows you to see everything they have on you. Failing to disclose something is a serious offence.

      The comedian/activist Mark Thomas did a show on the DPA. He has a history of holding campaigns against big business and as a part of this show, he requested that all of the companies he has "dealt" with in the past give him a copy of everything relating to him. That included memos telling staff what to say to him he he got in contact, and what not to say! Briliant system.

      I recommend that everyone should get a copy of your credit report. Any company that provides credit has access to this and it's really disturbing what they store. I used to live with my parents and because of that, it had their personal bank details in it, including every loan/credit card they've had in the past 5 years.

      Say goodbye to privacy!

    11. Re:Its got nothing to do wi sep11 by jez9999 · · Score: 0

      Really, this is a paranoid red herring.

      No, you're very naive.

      Why the hell should the government have one standard (can see all data, no reason, no limit to how much they can store, etc), and business has another (data protection act, mustn't store data for longer than necessary, etc)? This is another example of the government setting a good 'moral' standard, and completely ignoring it itself. Disgraceful.

  9. Blunkett by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Blunkett has gotten rid of trial-by-jury and double-jeopardy protection (no "Things only I know for $200 Alex", please). Hard-and-fast civil liberties have gone, so something simple like e-mail usage doesn't stand a chance. The Home Office is not an exemplar of efficiency, so how he'll enforce data stockpiling remains to be seen.

    1. Re:Blunkett by oliverthered · · Score: 1

      AKA Rabid blind-git
      then there's
      Piss poor, jack straw, RIP. I believe that JAck Straw lowered the age of criminal responsability. Introduced all those 'anti-social' behaviour bills, personally sharing my music with the rest of the street is the most social thing I can think of.

      and
      Band-it Blair. Who can prove bin-laden blew up everything, but just can't seem the time to show the proof. Are Blair and Bush related to Alaxander the Great or somthing? Hopefully they won't make it to china either.

      --
      thank God the internet isn't a human right.
    2. Re:Blunkett by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      easy, whip anyone who "should" have complied but didn't with a truly massive fine - it's equivalent to garotting a company!

    3. Re:Blunkett by EnglishTim · · Score: 2

      No, we still have trial by jury and we still currently have double-jeopardy protection. Blunkett seems to shove lots of extreme bills at parliment in the hope of getting some of the measures through in a toned down form...

  10. is that priority??? by magwm · · Score: 2, Insightful

    see how much an idiot with a gun can do to public emotion (and health). is it then a real priority to spend who-knows-how-much on logging user activity? IMHO we have a priority problem here.

    1. Re:is that priority??? by mccalli · · Score: 4, Insightful
      see how much an idiot with a gun can do to public emotion (and health). is it then a real priority to spend who-knows-how-much on logging user activity? IMHO we have a priority problem here.

      Who's 'we'? If you're referring to the Washington situation, then you should be aware that the UK already has extremely tight gun control laws. Possibly the US might look to making those a priority, but the UK already has.

      Cheers,
      Ian

    2. Re:is that priority??? by Reziac · · Score: 2

      Washington D.C. already has the toughest gun control laws in the entire U.S. Lotta good that did, eh??

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    3. Re:is that priority??? by mccalli · · Score: 1
      Washington D.C. already has the toughest gun control laws...

      Hooray!

      ...in the entire U.S.

      Ah. Err...

      Sort of like arguing over which tissue paper is stronger.

      Cheers,
      Ian

    4. Re:is that priority??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      hehe...

      so true.

    5. Re:is that priority??? by Reziac · · Score: 2

      Not at all like arguing over tissue paper... D.C.'s anti-gun laws are draconian, yet nowhere else in the U.S. do you have such a good chance of being shot (even before the sniper). Whereas some states have none to speak of, yet have far fewer gun-related crimes. As someone once said, an armed society is a polite society.

      Blaming guns is like blaming CDRs for music "piracy".

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    6. Re:is that priority??? by mccalli · · Score: 1
      As someone once said, an armed society is a polite society.


      They may have said it, but I disagree entirely. 'Subdued' perhaps. Scared. But not polite.


      Cheers,

      Ian

    7. Re:is that priority??? by Reziac · · Score: 2

      I suppose if you've never lived in one, you wouldn't know, but you feel a lot less like a victim when you KNOW you can defend yourself, instead of having to rely on someone else (who may not be on the spot when you need help).

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    8. Re:is that priority??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      draconian?

      just yesterday I saw a tv reporter walk into a gun shop and ask the shopkeeper how hard would it be for him to purchase a fully automatic assault rifle they had for sale

      apparently, according to the man, as long as you don't have a criminal record is no different from buying a car or a kitchen appliance

      You sure have a funny definition of "draconian"

      But maybe you're just stupid.

  11. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Tim+C · · Score: 4, Informative

    I guess the biggest difference between the UK and the US is that the media isn't privately owned to quite the same degree in the UK as it is in the US, right?

    Perhaps, but to the best of my knowledge, the only publicly-owned media in the UK is the BBC. All other TV and radio stations, and all newspapers, are privately owned.

  12. Hopefully people will notice with their wallet... by Kjella · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't know about these last attempts, but the RIP bill wanted 7 years. I'd love to see some nice juicy ads from ISPs with "We want to triple your Internet bill. Love, UK government." or something like it. Maybe that'll get the public opinion with them.

    Kjella

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  13. In a related story... by CySurflex · · Score: 5, Funny

    US ISP's, in an attempt to match the actions of their UK counterparts, have anounced that they will only retain users records for 50 years insead of 100 and will ship their router logs only once a week to the NSA, instead of nightly.

  14. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by lovebyte · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It has all the power because it has all the guns, and that is especially true in the UK.
    Governements in democraties do not have all the power. And this has nothing to do with guns. Many americans always bring back the issue of guns in the most irrelevant situations!

    I guess the biggest difference between the UK and the US is that the media isn't privately owned to quite the same degree in the UK as it is in the US, right?
    This is equally irrelevant. Privately owned media can be forced by governements to say anything the governements want as much as public media.

    Anyway, this is about ISPs which are all (AFAIK) privately owned.

    --

    I'll do it for cheesy poofs.

  15. Excellent! by Noryungi · · Score: 2

    Kudos to all the UK ISPs who refused to obey this ridiculous government order...

    I just hope all the ISPs will have the courage to do the same with their respective governments... But I seriously doubt it!

    --
    The right to offend is far more important than the right not to be offended. (Rowan Atkinson)
    1. Re:Excellent! by fyonn · · Score: 1

      Kudos to all the UK ISPs who refused to obey this ridiculous government order...

      it's not an order yet. right now it's a request. when it becomes an order then it becomes alot more difficult to refuse and thats when we'll see who has guts enough to refuse and risk the consequences. if one ISP refuses then they are in a world of trouble, if they all do then the government is in an interesting position as that would be widescale, very public civil disobedience. I wonder what would happen...

      dave

  16. We're not a free/cheap police force... by MrFenty · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Part of the problem is that the UK Govt seems to assume that private businesses will be happy - in difficult market conditions - to be an effective cheap/free police force for them to monitor people. Given conflicting legislation coming out of both the EU and UK Govt's, it is unlikely that this would be welcomed by UK businesses.

  17. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Pike65 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I mean, the government gets whatever it wants, because it has all the power

    I'm not so sure. There was talk a few months ago of the RIP Act being voided because of a new European law that had been passed.

    Has anyone heard anything about this recently?

    (-1 Hearsay, Suspicion and not a lot else)

    --
    "If being a geek means being passionate about something, then I pity those who aren't geeks." - Pike65
  18. At last... by Komarosu · · Score: 1

    Its good to see that ISPs are fighting on the users side for a change (for our good, or theres...we dont know) but its quite a swing around to the disclaimers and other documents that ISPs bind you to specific ToS that if you waver from in the slightest they go a bit mental at you

    just my 2c

    --

    "What do you mean you have no ice? Do you expect me to drink this coffee hot?" - Random Customer, Clerks
  19. nice typing by pavera · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think they should hire a better typist over there at the Guardian, I've never seen so many typos in one article in my life, to show just a few:
    The investigations citedrefer
    have been struggling to agree terms
    No vember
    to force internet prov-iders

    I mean really! get a spell checker! And a grammar one too!

    1. Re:nice typing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      for those unaware the Guardian has a long and famous history of typos. It is affectionately referred to as 'The Grauniad' by many readers...

    2. Re:nice typing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Grauniad is notorious for its typos.

    3. Re:nice typing by Gleng · · Score: 1

      The Guardian is legendary for typos. It's kind of a UK tradition. :)

      --
      "Proudly Posting Without Reading The Article"
  20. Doesn't surprise me in the least. by Big+Mark · · Score: 5, Informative

    Blunkett has no time for libertairians. He is achieving everything the Tories can only dream of.

    Remember, this is the man who is trying to remove the right to trial by jury. This is the man who is thinking of revealing a defendant's past convictions, which will bias the court even further against the unfortunate. This is the man who persecutes people crossing the channel with their car boots (trunks?) yet allows big corporations to get away with tax evation and theft on a colossal scale.

    "New Labour - Same Old Tories"

    1. Re:Doesn't surprise me in the least. by purrpurrpussy · · Score: 1

      > He is achieving everything the Tories can only dream of.

      Well that's blindingly obvious! The Tories are hopelessly unelectable... they have nothing to do but dream.

      I would welcome a genuinely interesting, discussion based, libertarian political party in the UK.

      Tories = Last of the empire, stuck up old fools whose overriding ambition is to take your money via private industry

      Labour = You voted us in cos' we are slightly less corrupt than the Tories

      LibDems = We want to be the second biggest party... Wow.... what ambition....

      It's Monster Raving Loony next time - or the Communists if they stand here.

      --
      "None of this shit works" -W.Shatner
    2. Re:Doesn't surprise me in the least. by mikeplokta · · Score: 2
      Remember, this is the man who is trying to remove the right to trial by jury.


      Let us be fair to David Blunkett. There hasn't been a universal right to trial by jury for a long time, and few people think you should be able to demand a jury trial for littering or parking offences. Similarly, few people (not including David Blunkett) think that you shouldn't have the right to a jury trial for murder. So what he's proposing is moving the line -- I think he's moving it to far, but it's not "trying to remove the right to trial by jury".

    3. Re:Doesn't surprise me in the least. by jratcliffe · · Score: 1

      >>

      I would say that the victims of the defendant's past crimes would be the unfortunates here, not the perpetrator.

  21. Alternative tactic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Save the logs, dump them on tape and send a lorry round to MI5 once a week to deliver them. When you start to run out of tapes (and you will) start to burn them on CDs (which have less capacity than tape), when they run out it's back to paper tape and punch cards.

    Do they have any idea how much storage space they will need for just one months worth of data!

    - OR -

    All we have to go is write some scripts to visit random sites and we can all swap emails. I have broadband. Just how many sites could a spider visit in 24 hours from my machine?

    How many emails could I send in 24 hours?

  22. This isn't just a one off... by Monty+Worm · · Score: 4, Interesting
    It's not just you. This would have been bad. But it's just yet another gaffe from a familiar source.

    David Blunkett has a habit of putting legislation into action that is far too heavy handed - think about his post-Sept 11 proposals, or his reaction to refugee housing. Thankfully most of it seems to get filtered out by due process.

    He does seem to act a bit rashly, and seems to leap before he looks too often. I sometimes wonder if his presence is reverse-discrimination in action (he was blind from birth).

    --
    ... and today's pet project has ... been discarded for lack of time.
    1. Re:This isn't just a one off... by MartinB · · Score: 2
      David Blunkett has a habit of putting legislation into action that is far too heavy handed - think about his post-Sept 11 proposals, or his reaction to refugee housing. Thankfully most of it seems to get filtered out by due process.

      That's why we have process. It's a useful negotiating tactic - make your points more forcefully than you need to, knowing you're going to get scaled back to about where you wanted to be, rather than making your points where you want, and then lose half of them. It should be noted that Blunkett is a lot more liberal than any of his recent predecessors.

      I sometimes wonder if his presence is reverse-discrimination in action (he was blind from birth).

      No, he's there because he did a good job at Education.

      --

      The only thing you can accurately describe as "Scotch" is a sticky tape made by 3M. And it's

    2. Re:This isn't just a one off... by mccalli · · Score: 5, Informative
      He does seem to act a bit rashly, and seems to leap before he looks too often.

      Blunkett used to be the leader of Sheffield City Council, which is the city I came from.

      He was the person who plunged it catastrophically in to debt to finance the World Student Games - an event we were told would attract massive world interest. Hmm. It attracted just about none.

      The reason he did it was that he was convinced Neil Kinnock was about to win the next election and so provide a free bail-out to his pals. Remember the infamous Labour Rally in Sheffield, just before the General Election of...err...sometime in the late eighties/early nineties? When Labour acted as if they'd already won, when in fact they lost for a third straight time with Kinnock as leader?

      Blunkett jumped out of the council as fast as he could, leaving some non-entity (Clive Betts, never achieved anything of national note) to take his place and hence the blame. The city finances were trashed, with huge amounts of debt due to a failed event.

      I'm amazed more people don't bring up Blunkett's political history when interviewing him. It's almost as if the past just never happened.

      Cheers,
      Ian

    3. Re:This isn't just a one off... by N95322 · · Score: 1

      "...and seems to leap before he looks too often."

      Rather an unfortunate turn of phrase, given that he's a blind man. You admit as much yourself, which only discredits your comment further.

    4. Re:This isn't just a one off... by Monty+Worm · · Score: 1

      No, it's just unfortunate. He seems to not think his ideas through enough. It was just the best phrase to match.

      --
      ... and today's pet project has ... been discarded for lack of time.
    5. Re:This isn't just a one off... by Jaffa · · Score: 1
      No, he's there because he did a good job at Education.

      He, err, did what exactly? I do remember him promising that the Government would meet its new education targets within 3 years or he'd resign. However, come June 2002 the targets were not met but, oh look, he's not Education Secretary any more so doesn't resign.

      The only redeeming feature of Blunkett compared with Jack Straw is that he's only ever-so-slightly less of a right wing extremist; and even then he seems to be learning quickly.

      Everyone seems to like Lucy the dog, though... let's appoint her Home Secretary ;-)

    6. Re:This isn't just a one off... by spakka · · Score: 2
      No, he's there because he did a good job at Education.

      Making David Blunkett education secretary is like making Stephen Hawking minister for sport.

  23. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Ngwenya · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I mean, the government gets whatever it wants, because it has all the power. It has all the power because it has all the guns, and that is especially true in the UK.

    Not all the guns. The IRA still has a few, and the loyalist gangs have a load - oh, yes, and the Yardies tend to be well supplied, and the Tongs. But I guess you meant that the citizenry are not allowed to bear arms without a license, which is not routinely given.

    However, I think that this is all but irrelevant in this case as (a) retention of ISP data records just isn't the sort of thing that popular revolutions are made of, and (b) as you say, most the of the people wouldn't even care (yes, sadly, the British population is just like the US population in this regard). You know the line "I've got nothing to hide, so why shouldn't they implant me with a v-chip?".

    I guess the biggest difference between the UK and the US is that the media isn't privately owned to quite the same degree in the UK as it is in the US, right? But that media which isn't owned by private entities is owned by the government

    The only publicly owned media corporation is the BBC, which is paid for by television license subscription. It's not really owned by the government in the sense that you mean (ie, the government can't tell it what to broadcast, or not - though God knows they've tried time and again). The problem for the government is that the BBC carries more weight with the people that the government of the day ever will - so they have to watch their step. It carries more weight, because it broadcasts the soaps and reality TV shows that keep Joe Couch-Potato happy and fat.

    And the rest of our media are owned by sundry groups - right-wing (mostly), left-wing (rarely), and a big chunk of it by Rupert Murdoch, who's an Australian/American/Chinese/whatever-gets-him-TV-c oncessions citizen.

    Anyway, to attempt to answer the question - will HMG just make the retention mandatory - I don't know. They've backed down before when it came to crapping over civil liberties (and at other times, they've just shit all over them). My guess is that there are a hell of a lot of people using ISPs in the UK right now, and there just ain't enough votes to be got by ramming this down the ISPs throats. On the other hand, never underestimate the power of the securocrats - the ridiculous mess that is the RIP Act was their handiwork.

    David Blunkett did go on record as saying that there were some things that a governing party must not do, even if it could steamroller any opposition (the Labour party has a huge majority in Parliament). So, who knows - maybe they'll just decide that without the co-operation of the ISPs, it ain't a fight worth having.

    Watch out for the low-flying pigs though.

    --Ng

  24. My ISP is Not The Law by Inda · · Score: 5, Funny

    There is no chance of my ISP every doing this in the UK. They can't arrange for the cable box to be fixed. They can't get my bill right after 12 months of me telling them that I do in fact pay by direct debit and they shouldn't be charging me a levy. They can't even pick the phone up after 10^6 rings...

    What chance do they have of recording all my web page visits and emails?

    http://www.nthellworld.com/

    --
    This post contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
    1. Re:My ISP is Not The Law by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1

      I've had no problems with NTL, been a happy customer for 5 years, analog then digital cable, dial-up then cable modem. However, you are correct on phoning them, they don't have enough staff manning the call center. The solution is to phone first thing in the morning. Early evening is a waste of time. Same with most call centres.

    2. Re:My ISP is Not The Law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      NTL forces everyone to use a transparant proxy server, which almost certainly is logging every website you visit RIGHT NOW.

    3. Re:My ISP is Not The Law by glesga_kiss · · Score: 2

      You don't need a proxy server to do that! All you need to do is snoop the wire for destination port 80 traffic. It's pretty easy to do...

  25. I don't get it... by 91degrees · · Score: 1

    Why do so many yanks have such a problem understanding the differenc between Government controlled and publically owned?

    The BBC is publically owned. It is independent from the government.

    1. Re:I don't get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      well generally because they're stupid and have very narrow view of the world (mostly because they don't care to know what happens in the world)

    2. Re:I don't get it... by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      That used to be what I thought, but all the americans I've actually met seem to be intelligent polite people.

      The only conclusion I can come up with is that there are two different Americas. One of them is the open friendly society that has no computers, and the other is a closed policed state with excellent internet access, but no possibility of getting an exit visa.

  26. A matter of priority by Hugh+Macdonald · · Score: 1, Interesting

    My initial reaction when reading this story was to stand up for the ISPs - say something along the same lines as most other people here...

    HOWEVER, if I had a choice between another attack on the scale of Sept 11th, and my ISP holding my logs (and the chance that someone might look through them), I'd be quite happy to let anyone look at the logs.

    I have nothing illegal to hide, and while I'd rather people didn't look through what I've been doing, it's all down to what's more important....

    --
    Hugh Macdonald
    1. Re:A matter of priority by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But do you want them spending their time going through your logs to see if you are an international terrorist while the real terrorists meet up in MacDonnalds and plan how to blow up Canary Wharf?

      Messages between Al-Queda were intercepted on 9/10 but as they were in Arabic they were not translated until 9/12. Now imagine that they had a thousand times as many messages to translate!

      They can't cope with the information they already have, giving them more will not make things better.

    2. Re:A matter of priority by abdulwahid · · Score: 1

      I have nothing illegal to hide, and while I'd rather people didn't look through what I've been doing, it's all down to what's more important....

      I wonder if they passed a law saying that the Post office had to keep a photocopy of all land mail you posted you would be so keen to comply.

      The point is, keeping some logs isn't going to help much anyway. Terrorist are first of all going to be using cryptography or data-hiding techniques. It isn't as simple as just reading peoples email logs. There are so many ways around leaving evidence in log files. Heck, there are enough wide open machines on the Internet that take 5 seconds to hack into where you can delete all the log files yourself.

      These laws do nothing but remove the privacy and freedom of common man. Aren't these the rights we are meant to be fighting the terrorists for!

      --
      perl -e 'print $i=pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10);'
    3. Re:A matter of priority by NBarnes · · Score: 1


      Two points:

      A - Any half-bright terrorist will be using strong cryptography rather than on Security Through Obscurity via unecrypted HTTP/SMTP packets. Thus, this proposal fails to provide law enforcement with any useful tools against serious threats

      B - While You, Hugh, may be Joe Normal, I and a lot of other /.rs are/do/talk about things we'd just as soon not have some redneck police officer from Bad Ass, TX (re: Robert Anton Wilson) look up when they're bored and looking for a queer to bash. As per A above, this proposal lacks utility against serious security threats, and therefore it's only effect is to give the unethical, unscrupulous, and stupid in our governments more information to be used in their quest to stamp out non-comformity.

    4. Re:A matter of priority by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The point is, losing your privacy is not going to garner you any security. As an example look at Sri Lanka - the government can monitor everything you do, they can turn up at your door and mow down your entire family on the suspicion of links to terrorism. It hasn't decreased the efficacy of the terrorists there any. It just makes more terrorist sympathisers when the government starts acting in such a manner.
      This is the same road the rest of the free worls is walking along in their fight against terrorism, they are squeezing the citizens they are supposed to be protecting. Nothing good will come of this.

  27. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by MartinB · · Score: 5, Informative

    Note also

    1. The private ownership of media in the UK is concentrated in a small number of hands - particularly in the wake of the recent combination of Carlton and Grenada, bringing all but 2 of the commercial TV stations into one group
    2. Channel 4 is in public ownership
    3. The BBC has within it a large number of TV and radio stations. On the TV side, they have 2 nationally broadcast terrestrial stations (out of 5), with about 6 sets of regional opt-outs, plus 3 cable services, while on Radio, they have 4 national stations (compared to I think 2 national commercial rivals) plus maybe 20 local stations.
    4. The BBC has a history of being rather more critical of the government of the day than the privately owned outlets
    --

    The only thing you can accurately describe as "Scotch" is a sticky tape made by 3M. And it's

  28. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by pubjames · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I mean, the government gets whatever it wants, because it has all the power. It has all the power because it has all the guns, and that is especially true in the UK.

    I feel sorry for a certain type of American. You don't realise how screwed up your world-view is.

  29. Oh so the information is in your ISP logs? by tobo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So you mean that another attack can be prevented with your ISP logs? You really have that knowledge?

    No but really. What will happen is that they will check your computer logs AND another attack will happen.

  30. Leaps before he looks by Colin+Smith · · Score: 2


    Hmm, I wonder if that's cos he's blind?

    --
    Deleted
  31. Pr0n by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    You geeks don't want your mothers to find out about all the pr0n you've been downloading....

    Heh.

    1. Re:Pr0n by Glanz · · Score: 0

      How else would I find out what my mother does at work?

      --
      Rien n'est plus beau que le creux du 0.
  32. Me neither by tobo · · Score: 1

    I have no time for brown-nosing libertarians either.

    However, I would like to indicate that I am working against everything the Tories are trying to achieve.

    Me, I'm a life-long labour-party voting computer geek with Windows 2000 operating system and a nice salary, which hasn't really made me to forget my working class roots or the anarchist years of my early twenties.

    1. Re:Me neither by andyt · · Score: 1

      However, I would like to indicate that I am working against everything the Tories are trying to achieve.

      Wait, they're trying to achieve something now?

  33. Money by Stonehead · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Nice laws. But since the government wants all this overhead, who should pay for this 'security' that consumers don't want? The providers themselves? Don't think so. I think the politicians should eat their own dogfood, and cough up those euros.. and even then, I can imagine better IT investments.. :)

    1. Re:Money by Captain_Chaos · · Score: 1
      <snip> I think the politicians should eat their own dogfood, and cough up those euros.. <snip>

      Pounds actually... The UK hasn't joined the monetary union (yet)...

    2. Re:Money by permaculture · · Score: 1
      Who should pay? If the ISP pays, it's really us the consumers paying. If the government pays, again, it's really us the consumers paying.

      I hope we don't stand for it.

      --
      Environmentalism is the new Victorianism. Everyone ties on a green corset and pretends we're virtuous.
  34. Bigger problems....... by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Well, look on the bright side. If Blunkett is trying so hard to pass this law, it can only mean that Echelon is not as effective as some people thought. I've actually been interviewed by some people who work for the UK govt and showed me some software they'd written that trawled USENET attempting to corrolate posts together and search for patterns. It was quite advanced too (written in python!).

    Clearly though the idea that Echelon can hoover up phone/emails and record/scan them is just so much hooey, as I always thought it was. Reassuring in a way.

    1. Re:Bigger problems....... by meringuoid · · Score: 2
      Clearly though the idea that Echelon can hoover up phone/emails and record/scan them is just so much hooey, as I always thought it was. Reassuring in a way.

      Did you read Mr Blair's famous file on the Iraqi weapons programme? This coming from the PM of a country with some very serious espionage and eavesdropping capability, and enough friends in high places at CIA to call on extra material resources if necessary... Not a word of it wasn't already in the public domain. It was all stuff we already knew, from old news and from the inspectors' reports from the nineties, before they were thrown out. The only contributions from James Bond and friends were speculation about Saddam's intentions, which quite frankly any TV news programme could have made.

      It looks like Big Brother doesn't know half as much as he'd like us to think.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    2. Re:Bigger problems....... by Zunt · · Score: 1

      Ah, but the problem with Echelon (and other spying tools) is that you can't just blurt out results from it to prove a point. With the ISP data the government has something to use to show they got their man "legally", even if the actual proof came from an Echelon type thingy. Stop me if I get too technical...

    3. Re:Bigger problems....... by danro · · Score: 2

      Or, in the Iraq case, that Echelon works just fine but there isn't anything new to know.
      That would be really bad, as it would mean that the US and UK governments are willfully lying to their citizens and the rest of the world about starting a potentially very costly war.

      Another reason to hope that Echelon doesnt work very well, I guess.

      --

      "First lesson," Jon said. "Stick them with the pointy end."
    4. Re:Bigger problems....... by R.Caley · · Score: 1
      If Blunkett is trying so hard to pass this law, it can only mean that Echelon [echelonwatch.org] is not as effective as some people thought.

      On the contrary, if i were Blunkett and had something like Echelon working, this kind of silly fuss with the ISPs would be my next move. Basic missdirection strategy.

      --
      _O_
      .|<
      The named which can be named is not the true named
    5. Re:Bigger problems....... by R.Caley · · Score: 1
      Did you read Mr Blair's famous file on the Iraqi weapons programme? [...] It was all stuff we already knew

      They were hardly going to put quality intelligence information into a press release, which is all that the `dossier' was. I don't see that one can draw any conclusions about what they do or don't know from what they publish in such trivia collections.

      --
      _O_
      .|<
      The named which can be named is not the true named
    6. Re:Bigger problems....... by mpe · · Score: 2

      Did you read Mr Blair's famous file on the Iraqi weapons programme?

      Most common phrase being "this page intentionally left blank" :)

      This coming from the PM of a country with some very serious espionage and eavesdropping capability, and enough friends in high places at CIA to call on extra material resources if necessary... Not a word of it wasn't already in the public domain. It was all stuff we already knew, from old news and from the inspectors' reports from the nineties, before they were thrown out.

      They were more pulled out, so that the USAF and RAF wouldn't get bad publicity for bombing them.

      It looks like Big Brother doesn't know half as much as he'd like us to think.

      Big brother dosn't want us to know what he knows, hence the lack of new information.

    7. Re:Bigger problems....... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or, in the Iraq case, that Echelon works just fine but there isn't anything new to know.

      How could Echelon help, it's not like Iraq has an aircraft industry trying to compete with Boeing.

      That would be really bad, as it would mean that the US and UK governments are willfully lying to their citizens and the rest of the world about starting a potentially very costly war.

      Which almost certainly won't do much to clean up the mess they made of that part of the world in the first place. The usual of backing corrupt governments, destroying the only real democracy in the region and helping a bunch of terrorists start up a regional superpower state.

    8. Re:Bigger problems....... by mpe · · Score: 2

      Ah, but the problem with Echelon (and other spying tools) is that you can't just blurt out results from it to prove a point.

      This has already happened, but few people appear to have noticed. There was mention of telephone calls between Richard Reed (aka "the shoebomber) and Zararias Mossawi (the "20th hijacker").

  35. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Savage-Rabbit · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I mean, the government gets whatever it wants, because it has all the power. It has all the power because it has all the guns, and that is especially true in the UK.

    The government has power because we the people give it power. The governments gets things it wants and we don't want because we the people do not stop the government from getting what the government wants before it is too late. I am constantly amazed by how the majority groups with in Nations, Trade unions and Political organizations neglect to make use of their democratic rights to govern them selves and get rolled over by a small but determined minority that makes excellent use of its democratic rights. I have actually seen unpopular legislation passed in an unnamed national assembly just because half of the majorities MPs were stuck gossiping at the watercooler when the vote was called and being absent they could not stand up and be counted.
    If we keep expecting to exercise our democratic right to influence government after bills we dont like have been passed because we were to lazy to show up to vote or too brain-dead to speak up we will have a hard time ahead of us. It would be so much easyer if people opposed legislations that robs them of their rights BEFORE it is passed. Sort of like putting on the FLAK jacket BEFORE you get shot

    --
    Only to idiots, are orders laws.
    -- Henning von Tresckow
  36. rational behavior by g4dget · · Score: 2

    I'm not sure it really matters. A lot of annoying behavior would come to an end if businesses just started behaving more rationally, taking long-term profits and considerations into account.

  37. May I offer you some advice by tobo · · Score: 1

    Perhaps you might like to use the services of a Finnish telecom, Sonera.

    Sonera does deliver all of the telecom services you have mentioned, with an amazingly friendly attitude.

    Sonera is at the leading edge of the discontinuity

  38. So what? by Ed+Avis · · Score: 5, Informative

    What's the big deal? Slashdot groupthink has been saying (correctly) for years now that standard network protocols like SMTP and HTTP are very easy to sniff, and if you want privacy you should use encryption. There are people (govt or otherwise) sniffing network traffic right now, all that the British minister has done is bring the issue into the open.

    You should assume that whatever you send over your network link is publicly readable (if not always modifyable) and encrypt accordingly.

    --
    -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    1. Re:So what? by Tim+C · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You should assume that whatever you send over your network link is publicly readable (if not always modifyable) and encrypt accordingly.

      What good will encrypting your mails do you, when the Police have the power to demand that you surrender your keys, on pain of a prison term?

      Mind you, if you're using the internet to send stuff you don't want Them to read, you're asking to get caught anyway...

    2. Re:So what? by jcupitt65 · · Score: 1

      It depends how you encrypt it. For example if you use SSL to connect to anonymiser.com for your surfing or hotmail, it's encrypted, but there are no keys you could be compelled to hand over.

    3. Re:So what? by Dean+Sas · · Score: 1

      the fact that the jail sentance is like 3 years and any terrorist/paedophile/targetoftabloids are likely to get far longer than that if they hand their keys over

    4. Re:So what? by Ed+Avis · · Score: 2

      Quite. The problem isn't that the government is trying to read cleartext network traffic, it's the 'guilty unless proven innocent' mandatory key disclosure that's the real problem. A pity that the press concentrates on the first issue (probably because it is easier to understand). 'Stop MI5 snooping on e-mails' read one headline a while ago. They should have mentioned that every citizen already has the ability to stop messages being read by MI5 or anyone else (unless they break into your house or the receiver's).

      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    5. Re:So what? by mOdQuArK! · · Score: 2

      The way the British laws are written, if you cannot hand over the keys necessary for decryption, then they can put you in jail - even if you've honestly lost or "forgotten" the keys, or if somebody passed you the encrypted message w/o giving you the key to decrypt it.

      Basically, it's up to the Bobbies to decide whether they want to throw you in jail or not.

    6. Re:So what? by andyt · · Score: 1

      You should assume that whatever you send over your network link is publicly readable (if not alwys modifyable) and encrypt accordingly

      I know that. You know that. And the odds are very high that Joe Terrorist/Paedophile/Sniper knows that.

      The only person who doesn't know that, and the only person who will be snooped on, is yer average citizen of the UK.

      And that's the plan.

    7. Re:So what? by Ed+Avis · · Score: 1

      Rereading my own message I have a sudden urge to register a userid 'Slashdot Groupthink'. But I'll let someone else do that. It sounds like a girl's name to me.

      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    8. Re:So what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So how does encrypting the email hide WHO you are sending it to?

    9. Re:So what? by Ed+Avis · · Score: 1

      Encrypting messages could hide who the recipient is, in principl. Someone could makea messaging protocol that encrypts all traffic and maybe has 'hints' about where to deliver each message but not a definite recipient; the message would be sent to dozens of people but only the intended recipient would be able to decrypt it.

      In practice this is not true of course. Anyone can see who you are sending messages to and from. But that was the case anyway. Unless you believe that mail servers or network links will never be compromised, you just have to live with it.

      Although you could backwards-compatibly obscure the details of who sends messages to who by having lots of encrypted junk messages sent to random people at random intervals. Perhaps 999 junk messages for every real message (and still email would use hardly any bandwidth compared to the Web). Only the person who decrypts the message can see that it is junk and discard it.

      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
  39. Plunkett (OT) by vrai · · Score: 1
    I sometimes wonder if his presence is reverse-discrimination in action (he was blind from birth).
    No, he's there because he did a good job at Education.
    Errr ... the only thing Blunkett 'achieved' as Education minister was to remove the assited places program, and so make independent schools even more (economically) elitist than they were before. Standards in state schools fell under his stewardship. He has always been a failure, is currently a failure, and will always be a failure. The original post was correct, he is only there to garner the disabled vote and because he is a commited Blairite. His guide dog Dennis could do a better job in the Home Office than the bearded POS that is the Hon. David Blunkett MP.
  40. Of course the Government would... by tobo · · Score: 0

    Private companies naturally never spy on citizens, workers etc. This type of a thing is solely done by companies owned even partially by their governments.

    I think that we have a very strong case for privatization of all state-owned resources. Scientific studies prove that privatization always works and makes society a happier and more prosperous place.

    1. Re:Of course the Government would... by Dean+Sas · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      so the hundreds (i think?) of lives lost in the various train crashes which were owned by a private company makes people happier. The crashes were caused by money been gave to shareholders instead of track maintanence? Air traffic control being part privatised meaning equipment that doesn't always work correctly? etc etc

    2. Re:Of course the Government would... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The scary thing is that the tory government had no more right to privatise British rail than they do the internet.

      You realise that the rainwater that falls on your head belongs to the water companies? Privatisation is just another word for theft.

    3. Re:Of course the Government would... by Dean+Sas · · Score: 1

      i'm off topic yet my parents post isn't? :D Nice too see mods are modding according to their political persuasions

    4. Re:Of course the Government would... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The same held true for the Trusts Saving Bank, they never owned it, it was a mutual society; yet it did not stop its floatation.

  41. OT: Political Memory by NBarnes · · Score: 2


    It's like this in the USA, too. It's not just that during our 2000 presidental election it was obvious that G.W. Bush Jr. was a moron, it's _also_ that anybody that _really_ cared to learn what kind of executive he'd be could look at his record in Texas. Anybody that voted for Bush under the theory that he gave a shit about the environment or poor people (especially poor brown people) or anything, really, except large companies did so in total defiance of his record as governer.

    In short, voters everywhere are 100% unable to correlate between past performance and future likely behavior. It's very odd, given that you'd think such an ability would be highly adaptive, but there you go.

  42. Access to free speach by Cryonics_au · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The only way that this kind of crap will ever cease, is if new protocols are devised that make you and your movements annoymous and untraceable.

    I don't know how possible or feasible this idea is, but something needs to be done.

    Freedom of speach is at stake. I'm not sure of the details, but wasn't there a court case or a precedent that says that if you are scared about the repurcussions of you accessing information, your right to free speach is being hindered? Well if logs are going to be kept for significant ammounts of time, and the govt or private companies are going to have access to it, i'd consider this to be of concern.

    1. Re:Access to free speach by JimPooley · · Score: 2

      We must not give freedom of speech to those who cannot even spell it...!

      --

      "Information wants to be paid"
  43. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by illtud · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I mean, the government gets whatever it wants, because it has all the power. It has all the power because it has all the guns, and that is especially true in the UK.


    And in the US, those guns have stopped your government passing laws that threaten your freedoms, right?


    Oh... wait

  44. let's not fool ourselves here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    When a corporation does something like this, it has nothing to do with morals or rights. They have simply seen that they stand to lose money from it. When the government revises it such that they are compensated for their losses, even by the users, it will be FULL STEAM AHEAD!

  45. Read the Article Carefully... by heytal · · Score: 2

    They refused retaining the logs beyond 15 months. I repeat.. beyond 15 months. and they cited cost as one of the major reasons. So why are we all discussing irrelevant things ?

    The fact: They would keep the logs for 15 months. Beyond 15 months, it's not affordable to keep the logs, and hence they would not. Big Deal.

    1. Re:Read the Article Carefully... by radish · · Score: 2


      Quote:

      Mr Lansman said that service providers were "rightly concerned" that retaining communications data beyond normal business practices may be unlawful

      i.e. they are worried about the conflict between these regs and Human Rights legleslation. The only mention of 15 months was in respect of the examples cited in the Home Office document, which the ISPA didn't accept. I didn't read anywhere that they were happy with a 15 month limit. They did say they didn't want to keep data beyond the limits required for normal business use. This is in fact what the law currently states (EU law that is) - that once data is no longer useful for the purposes of billing it must be erased. This would be much less than 15 months.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

  46. Two Words: urban planning by ArcSecond · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This guy would lack both the cover and the alienation required to snipe strangers if the US wasn't dominated by low-density suburban planning. The American obsession with the automobile has shattered the older urban communities and scattered people to the suburbs, which are no substitue for a healthy neighbourhood.

    People in high-density/pedestrian-oriented urban areas would probably a)have a stronger bond with people in their vicinity, b)play a more active role in policing their neighbourhood, and c)notice a guy setting up down the block with an assault rifle.

    This guy is sick, for sure. How did he get that way? Why doesn't every contry have a sniper killer? All I can say is: the conditions that created this individual aren't changing, so prepare for more. He won't be the last.

    --

    I've got a bad attitude and karma to burn. Go ahead. Mod me down.

    1. Re:Two Words: urban planning by Corporate+Troll · · Score: 1
      This guy is sick, for sure. How did he get that way?

      I think it would be funny if he was a computer scientist of so gone mad after the dot-com bubble-burst. That would speak for the mental state of all of us around here. Heck, I'd even go out and shoot some people, I just don't have a sniper rifle handy.

    2. Re:Two Words: urban planning by iggly_iguana · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I hope you meant this as a joke, cause it's one of the strangest statements that I've ever heard.

      Hell, I've got an idea. I'll run for dictator and mandate that we implement your idea of urban "stuffing". And, as part of the mandate, we'll do away with any type of "single family dwelling".

      From now on, a minimum of 2 families must live in every home.

      Can't find a family you want to live with? Let me know and you will be assigned one.

      There, terrorism problems solved.

      Karma to burn, also...

    3. Re:Two Words: urban planning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People used to say the same things about shooting sprees. "Why does America seem to have so many of them, why don't they occur elsewhere?"

      Well it seems to me that they are starting to occur elsewhere. They happen in Germany, Australia, and to some degree southeast Asia, though that could be argued as being a normal part of crime there.

      Perhaps snipers will crop up in other places. Who says America isn't leading the way in technological innovation anymore?

    4. Re:Two Words: urban planning by squiggleslash · · Score: 2
      You know, the above is going to look pretty silly if, as seems increasingly likely, the sniper is the deserter the French military are looking for.

      Serial killers have been around for eons, and I doubt you can really bundle it up into some glib "society's fault" problem. No society will ever be, or has ever been, perfect, because people are different and have different needs and wants; and some people have a strong intolerance of violence and killing and others less so.

      Moving to America, in America's Wang [thanks Homer], I'm aware that there can be a massive reduction in the available ways of socialising compared to, say, Britain where there's a pub on every corner, and you can still walk from your home to a city center and back. But, while I'd prefer on a personal preferences level, not to have to drive to the extent I do, the peace and quiet suits me perfectly. In Britain, I'd probably be a suspected child molestor ("Keeps himself to himself, very quiet" etc)

      I do few people have a reason to feel alienated in whatever environment they have, and in general, when they do it's because of an explicit rejection by local people, not a lack of contact to begin with. And whether people are alienated or not, it strikes me that you have to have a very low opinion of human life to want to shoot 13 strangers, one in front of her husband, one in front of his girl friend. Alienation can't make you feel that way. That comes from within.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    5. Re:Two Words: urban planning by Malc · · Score: 2

      People go on about old style neighbourhoods, but I don't think they exist anyway very much anymore. You need to go out of your way and find things like co-housing communities. Part of the problem is that people move around more, so there aren't lifetime bonds with your neighbour (I'm a bit extreme though having lived in at least 15 places in my 27 years, including four countries). I don't even subscribe to the theory that urban density encourages socialisation - my neighbour I speak most to, I've said "hello" in passing about 5 times in the last year. I live in the downtown core of Toronto. In fact I would go as far to say that people in urban places are often less approachable as they have less personal space and so tend to be more protective of it. However, you do have a bit of a point: there is a higher likelihood that there is another pair of eyes watching you in this environment.

  47. Surely the point is by TheEnglishPatient · · Score: 3, Insightful

    that this will not have the desired effect. If any terrorist or other criminal wants to send subversive information they can go to an internet cafe, register a false name and address, do the deed the disappear. Similarly with mobile (cell) phones - buy a pay as you go phone and discard it after a few uses. Impossible to track

    N

    1. Re:Surely the point is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just use a payphone. *That* cannot be traced! When buying a pay as you go phone, you usually need to register (not always - sometimes you only need to register if you want to be able to unlock the thing). I imagine they do careful checks with the electoral register for this. As for Internet cafes, in some cases you don't need to register for the cafe, and you can just use a friendly SMTP server (in some cases) to do the dirty work.

  48. Perhaps not by Azahar · · Score: 1

    It looks like poor OCR without a human checking the result. 'M' to 'V' is quite typical in my rather limited experience.

    --
    Cuiusvis hominis est errare; nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare.
  49. The easy vote by oliverthered · · Score: 3, Funny

    From the 1st Jan there will be a number of changes in the servers 'an ISP' is providing.
    We will be increasing you subscription charge by 25%,
    Your bandwidth will be limited to 26kbits.
    We will be capping you email to 20mb a month and browsing to 2000 pages.

    All this has been necessary to comply with recent government regulation introduced by David Blunket.

    If you have any problems, you know how to vote next time around.

    Have a nice day.

    --
    thank God the internet isn't a human right.
    1. Re:The easy vote by samael · · Score: 2

      That indicates that the opposition don't plan to do exactly the same thing. Which they do!

    2. Re:The easy vote by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 2

      You imply that we actually have an opposition. I must have missed it, unless you count the growing-but-not-yet-enough support for the Lib Dems. That lack of opposition is kinda the big problem.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    3. Re:The easy vote by Sobrique · · Score: 2, Funny

      Lib Dem's policy of 'if we get in, we legalise cannabis' is inspired. Just think of how much of the voters who usually wouldn't bother, will because of that one policy. Course, that's assuming they're not too stoned.

    4. Re:The easy vote by jez9999 · · Score: 0

      If the Tories aren't much of an opposition, the Lib Dems are Labour's whores. Come on, HOW can you have two left-wing parties as an affective government? Answer: you can't. Whilst the Lib Dems have the odd policy which doesn't agree with Labour (ie. cannabis legalization), most of the time they do nothing but help Labour force this shit through.

    5. Re:The easy vote by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 2
      If the Tories aren't much of an opposition, the Lib Dems are Labour's whores. Come on, HOW can you have two left-wing parties as an affective government? Answer: you can't.

      Indeed. The problem is that "New Labour" is now so right-wing they make the Tories look central. Even the unions are widely ranged against them -- the labour party -- much of the time now.

      And if you really think the only place the Lib Dems disagree with them is on cannabis, perhaps you should do your homework before commentating on politics or exercising your right to vote. Try "War, Iraq" as a starting point. I'm no Lib Dem party member, but I try to give them at least a fair hearing, and right now, I think they probably are more effective than the Tories in opposition.

      And by the way, Labour really don't need any help from the Lib Dems to "force this shit through", given the vast majority they have in the Commons and the Parliament Act if they don't like the Lords. This is kinda the problem.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    6. Re:The easy vote by jez9999 · · Score: 0

      Indeed. The problem is that "New Labour" is now so right-wing they make the Tories look central. Even the unions are widely ranged against them -- the labour party -- much of the time now.

      Nah. They're still more left-wing in many areas, the most obvious of all being taxation (raise taxes! raise taxes!). The unions are just bad mooded groups of people who will protest against any government of the day because 'they're not being paid enough'.

      And if you really think the only place the Lib Dems disagree with them is on cannabis, perhaps you should do your homework before commentating on politics or exercising your right to vote. Try "War, Iraq" as a starting point. I'm no Lib Dem party member, but I try to give them at least a fair hearing, and right now, I think they probably are more effective than the Tories in opposition.

      You'd hardly EXPECT the tories to oppose this kind of action, so I won't criticize them for not doing so; they tend to support American military action. And if the Lid Dems are such an effective opposition, they don't seem to have made Labour think twice about war on Iraq. Public pressure, if anything, has done that.

      And by the way, Labour really don't need any help from the Lib Dems to "force this shit through", given the vast majority they have in the Commons and the Parliament Act if they don't like the Lords. This is kinda the problem.

      Yes, the UK 'democratic' system is far from a democracy. But if Labour didn't have a massive majority, their first line of recourse would be coalition with the Lib Dems. Remember the days of Paddy Ashdown?

  50. ISP montoring by wheelsofsteel · · Score: 3, Informative

    The ISPs rejected it because of economic reasons not because of some high moral stance. Also HMG has had the power to track your internet usage and read (before you do) your emails for some time.
    Also the difference between the US and UK media is two small enties known as the 'Constitution of the US of A' and the 'Offical Secrets Act'. The US Constitution gives the right of free speech to US citizens, it also prevents the US Gov from banning any kind of publication (ie can't tell the media what to say). It is slightly different in the UK as it doesn't have a written constitution, the Official Secrets Act allows the UK Gov to prevent the publication of certain information that may be adverse to UK National Security, an example of this is during the Falklands War when the UK Gov prevented the invasion of the Falklands from being reported for a number of days, this allowed UK forces to be readied without the Argentines knowing about it be watching the BBC.

  51. UK ISPs Moving Servers by StormMore · · Score: 3, Insightful

    When we had all the trouble with the RIP bill (what happened to it? not heard much on it in ages) didn't quite a few ISPs threaten to put at least their mail servers outside the country so that the government couldn't even force them to hand over the data?

    What happened to that and doesnt Blunkett realise that the ISP can easily move these vital pieces of equipement out of the UK jursidiction? It just shows what lack of understand politicans and their advisors really have of the Internet and its workings.

    The only truely safe way for them to stop any so-called net-terrorism is to shut down the net which obvisiously wont happen!

  52. Nothing wrong with logging in principle by TechnoConfucius · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I have no problem with ISPs logging usage, or that data being used by law enforcement agencies, but there *HAS* to be some governance, oversight and control. It's no good asking ISPs to log the information without clearly explaining the cost implications, who will meet the cost, and ensuring in law that they are allowed and protected in doing so. Furthermore, to inspect the data law enforcement agencies should require a court-issued warrant. Blunkett's plans earlier this year allowed all manner of agencies (even the post office for god's sake) access to this type of information, under unspecified "supervision" of an official. Thank goodness that got canned, (at least for the time being). It is simply not good enough for governments to increase their own power without similarly increasing the protection and rights afforded to the people against that power.

    1. Re:Nothing wrong with logging in principle by Analysis+Paralysis · · Score: 1
      By logging usage, the order specifically refers to storing URL's of visited web sites. Depending on the naming/directory structure of individual sites, it is possible to have a good guess at what you may be up to (e.g. guess what I am looking at with http://www.euro.dell.com/countries/uk/enu/dhs/prod ucts/model_inspn_inspn_8200.htm). With many search engines, the search terms themselves are included with the returned URL (e.g. http://www.google.com/search?q=slashdot&sourceid=o pera&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8).

      As such, this sort of logging will give a good idea of your activities online and when you consider that the UK government has not only leaked copious amounts of personal data in the past (it was possible to buy the name and address for any given National Insurance number for just £10 at one point) but that all this information is now held and maintained by EDS.

      There is a solution to this - use software that encrypts your web traffic and URLs and routes them via a proxy server outside the UK. One I have used and can recommend (outside of peak times) is the Java Anonymising Proxy described here. Currently free...

  53. NOT SO WOW by purrpurrpussy · · Score: 4, Informative

    It is NOT the PEOPLE that have complained about this - it is ISPs - they are worried about being arrested for failing to log the smallest amount of data (even accidently) and, possible more importantly, they don't see why they should pay to do the governments work (of course WE actually end up paying as users).

    The population of the UK are dullards, sad, boring people obsessed with entertainment and celebrity. They don't know or care who is in charge and a vast majority of them don't vote anyway (9% turnout in the last council elections round here).

    They are too stupid to understand how law affects them and generally don't care anyway.

    People go to work like zombies do the bare minimum to get a pay packet go home and plug themselves into the nearest drug supply (TV or booze usually).

    They people of the isle are sheep - they do as they are told - innovation is dead - long live the service sector.

    Nobody ever sees the "big picture" and the greatest threat to our nation is (apparently) paedophiles.

    --
    "None of this shit works" -W.Shatner
    1. Re:NOT SO WOW by saintm · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think you will find that it is TV *and* booze thank you very much.

      Oh, best go.. got the bare minimum to do before the boss appears.

    2. Re:NOT SO WOW by meadowsp · · Score: 1

      Perhaps they (we) are content (enough) with how the country is being run and don't feel the need to spend any of our all too precious spare time thinking about it.

      Seems odd from looking at your CV, that you would tar eveyone with the same brush, looks like you've worked at some fairly interesting places.

      If you look beneath the surface in this country there's a whole world of non-sheeply things going on. It's a shame you don't seem to have been exposed to any of them.

    3. Re:NOT SO WOW by purrpurrpussy · · Score: 1

      It is precisely because I have been exposed to the non-sheeply things this country has to offer that the sheep annoy me so much!

      95% of the population are quite content with the way the country is run simply because they don't know or care how it is run.

      Try having a conversation about the state of the nation with the average British citizen and they simply don't have a clue what is going on. The classic is to ask what happens to their rubbish... they don't know... they don't care either.

      I MUST reassert again that in the area I live in 91% of the population DIDN'T vote in the last council elections. In the last general elections 24% voted... This is not indicative of a population that cares. At the very least they should have voted for the status quo* if they are happy with it.

      (* no - not Francis Rossi!)

      --
      "None of this shit works" -W.Shatner
  54. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by purrpurrpussy · · Score: 1

    >It has all the power because it has all the guns, and that is especially true in the UK.

    Actually this is completely UNTRUE - the government in the UK does NOT have an Army. Technically all military services are run by the monarch.... that hot bed of political discussion.... the monarchy.... I think that idea died in about 1603.....

    --
    "None of this shit works" -W.Shatner
  55. DOUBLE STANDARDS!! by purrpurrpussy · · Score: 0, Insightful

    A favourite English expression.

    If they want to watch me. FINE!
    But I want to read Blunketts mail too.

    THAT IS EQUITY. The UK has NO equity. It is one of the most prescriptive and restrictive societies on earth - they also seem to believe that law stops people breaking it. This is completely wrong!

    One further thought. Modern law practice is stupid. The best system of law EVER invented was the 10 commandments - NOT BECAUSE OF THE CONTENT OF THE COMMANDMENTS. But because it is a simple set of laws that most people would agree with - any idiot can read (or be read to) and understand them. UK law runs into tens of thousands of pages. It is not possible to live for a day without breaking the law.

    --
    "None of this shit works" -W.Shatner
    1. Re:DOUBLE STANDARDS!! by DEBEDb · · Score: 2
      But because it is a simple set of laws that most people would agree with - any idiot can read (or be read to) and understand them. UK law runs into tens of thousands of pages


      Have you ever seen Talmud? :)

      --

      Considered harmful.
    2. Re:DOUBLE STANDARDS!! by purrpurrpussy · · Score: 1

      Yes. But that is not what I was referring to.

      Laws about not eating owls or buggering badgers are fine but I was referring to the 10 commandments - the fact that so many other rules where created has more to do with orthodox religion imposing its power of the people rather than law being simplified so it is understandable.

      --
      "None of this shit works" -W.Shatner
    3. Re:DOUBLE STANDARDS!! by DEBEDb · · Score: 2

      In fact, that's what I am referring to.
      There is an entire body of laws in Judaic
      tradition that deals with such variety
      of cases that is comparable to those
      laws you decry. Life is not as simple as
      "do not steal". For one, people can't agree
      on what stealing means and whether it includes
      trading mp3s :)

      --

      Considered harmful.
    4. Re:DOUBLE STANDARDS!! by jez9999 · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately, the more complicated the wording for a law, the less right the consumer seems to have WRT use of a product - we see rights being taken away from consumers hand over fist nowadays, even copying for BACKUP purposes seems to be a grey area (legally) these days. The day may come when you have to stream any music you want from a provider's website. :-\ Frankly, I wish they'd keep the damn laws at 'do not steal', and use a bit of common sense to enforce them, rather than EVERYTHING having to be specified in writing!

    5. Re:DOUBLE STANDARDS!! by DEBEDb · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      One man's common sense is another's heresy, though...

      --

      Considered harmful.
  56. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's got the New Model Army. Go Cromwell!

  57. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Dean+Sas · · Score: 1

    channel 4 is government owned isn't it? Though ran like a private company

  58. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by gilgongo · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The BBC has a history of being rather more critical of the government of the day than the privately owned outlets

    It's also the case that the media in the UK (private or public) can be considerably more critical of the governement and politicians than media in the US. Anyone who's ever watched Larry King interview a senator, then seen Jeremy Paxman do the same with a British MP will know that blustering Larry is a cream puff.

    Also interesting to note that the BBC News website carried an interview with Noam Chomsky on 9/11 this year. No US network would ever have done that.

    --
    "And the meaning of words; when they cease to function; when will it start worrying you?"
  59. Yesterday, all those bullets seemed so far away. by DrSkwid · · Score: 2

    Gun ownership is protected because what was true yesterday is not true today and what's true today isn't true tomorrow.

    Violent crime is a symptom of a sick society.

    Anyone that can't see that needs shooting!

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  60. UK liberties by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 3, Insightful
    In the UK, we do have gun crime, but we don't have drive-bys with semi-automatic machine guns etc - its more idiot little ganster wannabe's with 400 dollar lamo-guns they picked up from the local pub.

    Yep, and it's up around 50% since Dunblane and the subsequent handgun restrictions. Is that in spite of the ban, or because of it?

    I'm not at all convinced I'd want routine carrying of handguns legalised in the UK at present, but more because I'm afraid of the number of unfortunate accidents that would occur because people here haven't grown up with them than because I object to them on self-defence grounds. Getting a gun isn't hard if you're a bad guy as it is, it's just that right now, the only people who have them are the criminals.

    In principle, I don't see that any government has any business restricting anything (carrying weapons for SD or sport, speed of travel in your car, use of drugs, bringing alcohol home from your booze cruise, whatever) unless it is preventing a clearly demonstrated threat to the general population. The government has failed to demonstrate this beyond random spin in any of these cases, and plenty of informed criticism argues that they are actually causing more damage to the population as a whole with their current policies. Yet, as it stands now, my girlfriend can't legally carry CS spray for self-defence, I can't legally drive faster than 20mph on a road near my home where 40mph would normally be safe, and cannabis is illegal although the vast majority of population want it legalised in every recent survey taken.

    What was that about appropriateness of laws and police states? Damn, I can't remember...

    --
    If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    1. Re:UK liberties by slipgun · · Score: 2

      I agree with everything you've said, it's about time the government started removing laws rather than putting new ones in place. Did you hear about that pensioner who was carrying 1000 fags and 2.7kg of baccy back from France, and got taken in by Customs? Absolutely bloody disgraceful.

      The one thing I wasn't sure about was the bit about most people wanting ganja legalised - I was under the impression that it was around 40% (too many people reading the Mail), although I may well be wrong. It's good to see the press slowly but surely coming round to the legalisation side - I read the Telegraph and the Economist mainly, and they are both in favour of more or less full legalisation.

      --
      SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
    2. Re:UK liberties by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, the Economist was looking at it solely from a financial point of view, and from a financial point of view it makes sense getting rid of a lot of enviromental controls.
      The Telegraph is just confused - as ever. Deep down it knows that from a `freedom to do what you want` point of view - which the right wing apparantly believes in - cannabis should be legal. But it got where it is by telling the readers what they already think/know, and most of them are 60+ year old old farts, so it can't go too far.

    3. Re:UK liberties by Sobrique · · Score: 1

      Probably 40% yes, 10% no, and 50% don't give a toss.
      After all, who cares? Pissed people cause problems, stoners just mong in the corner.

    4. Re:UK liberties by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      20mph on a road near my home where 40mph would normally be safe

      By "normally" you mean "When a kid doesn't run out in front of me" I take it? Are you in that much of a hurry?

    5. Re:UK liberties by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 1

      Hmm... Where exactly is the kid's parent while this is going on? If the kid is young enough to run into the street, maybe the parent should be watching him/her instead of relying on everyone else to watch out for him/her. Just a thought?

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    6. Re:UK liberties by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      That's right! Because little children should be kept in a leash all the time! That's so that you can have the god given right to drive as fast as you can! It's your right, and it doesn't matter how many people disagree with it cause they're all wrong anyway! Freedom is freedom!

      fucken idiot

    7. Re:UK liberties by DavidTC · · Score: 1
      At this point we need to question how he planned to carry 1000 people though immigration without being noticed. (And politely ask you not to call them 'fags', they are 'gay people'.)

      America and Britian, divided by a common language. ;)

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
  61. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Uri · · Score: 2

    Small addition/clarification: the BBC actually have 8 nationally-broadcast terrestrial channels - except 6 of them are only broadcast digitally. Furthermore, the BBC is at the head of a consortium, which includes BSkyB, that is about to start broadcasting 30 or so channels as free-to-view digital terrestrial.

  62. Re:Yesterday, all those bullets seemed so far away by Jezza · · Score: 1

    Every society has (some) violent crime, I'd just rather the dude with evil in mind wasn't carrying a gun. Or if he was that alone would get him arrested.

    That way he be a criminal BEFORE he shot someone.

    As I said before, this is only my view. I know many people see gun ownership is a right, I just think the right to life is more important than other rights. Maybe I'm wrong on this one.

  63. Data protection act? by NoMercy · · Score: 1

    I do believe this act states that for the sum of no more than 10 pounds, I can get a company to hand over all the data they hold on me.

    Yes Mr ISP I'd like a copy of that list of all my internet activities, here's your 10 quid.

  64. making people notice by Alain+Williams · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One problem, as others have remarked, is that most people don't know that this is happening, or forget quickly.

    The current UK government is very good a raising stealth taxes (taxes that are easily forgotten). One of these is an air-flight tax. The budget airlines don't like these as they can be a significant %age of the total price; so they quote these separately - which ensures that everyone always remembers that they are being taxes.

    The ISPs should do the same: itemise cost to provide service + cost to record all your traffic.

    This 'in your face' mechanism may help get this obnoxious intrusion removed.

    Does the post office record the address of every letter that you send ?

    1. Re:making people notice by drinkypoo · · Score: 2
      Does the post office record the address of every letter that you send ?

      It would be safest to assume that they do. The technology is certainly there, if in no way other than to record still images of the front and back of the letter. The 'authorities' could then OCR those letters which were interesting, such as those delivered on a certain day, with a certain postmark or one of a number of postmarks, et cetera. Perhaps they know that the letter is wrapped in tyvek or craft paper. Much of this information would be trivial to store and could provide significant insight. As far as you know, this information is not stored, but that's just as far as you know.

      Mind you, I'm not saying it is being stored. I'm not a conspiracy nut, but I am a * theorist, meaning I think too much. I'm also a /. humorist, but I'm not very funny. At least I run in similar company on all counts in this paragraph.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:making people notice by rnws · · Score: 1

      Yeah the technology is there, I've seen it done with cheque processing for banks in an EDS datacentre. It's very fast and very accurate (unless your handwriting _really_ sucks - then it just routes the image to a person to read it and key the data manually. Politicians suck - they've forgotten they are their to _serve_ us, instead they wish to _rule_ us - there's a big difference there people.

    3. Re:making people notice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, the post office already OCR's every letter you send, this was explained to me quite some time ago. Humans do not read the addresses of every letter and decide where to send it, that would take way too long. Instead, machines are looking at the addresses of every piece of mail that comes through and sorting accordingly. I assume they compare against some kind of database to decide the destination, though whether that information is tracked for "service quality" purposes or not is unknown.

      The post office is actually fairly high tech internally - it's just that mail itself is not so it frequently gets overlooked.

  65. No, I wasn't joking. by ArcSecond · · Score: 2

    Visit Europe. Hell, visit New Orleans or Brooklyn. This guy could NOT operate the way he has been in those places.

    If you still find my hypothesis hard to swallow, think about the locations has been using: parking lots, gas stations, convenience stores, bus stops in the middle of nowhere. What do these things have in common?

    --

    I've got a bad attitude and karma to burn. Go ahead. Mod me down.

    1. Re:No, I wasn't joking. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I partly agree with you, urban sprawl can be intolerable. Maybe snipers are nature's way of telling a community: this isn't such a great place to live, go somewhere else. Ya know, kind of like keeping the population in check by feeding on itself.

    2. Re:No, I wasn't joking. by ArcSecond · · Score: 2

      My point exactly. This sniper thing is like a feedback mechanism for society. My idea is that if you "engineer" such a social context you shouldn't be surprised when it bites you in the ass. I believe "cybernetics" deals with crime as a necessary result of a larger social system... so, in fact, this guy (in an abstract sense) represents part of the American unconscious.

      --

      I've got a bad attitude and karma to burn. Go ahead. Mod me down.

    3. Re:No, I wasn't joking. by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
      Many parts of the UK are also like these suburban hell-holes. Gimmie city life anyday, I grew up in one of these and got out as soon as possible.

      Suburbia is a bad thing on so many levels. It encourages use of the car for unnessesary trips bad for both the environment and public health through lack of execise. It cripples public transport making car use mandatory. Even a trip to get milk requires a drive to the shopping "complex".

      There is nothing to do for the kids, except causing trouble. Any attempts to play ball somewhere only results in someone moving them on. And we wonder why kids are losing respect for the older generations...?

      There is also no community spirit, though I television has got a lot to do with the breaking of community bonds. In suburbia, everyone is very much self-contained. It's a poor existance if you ask me...

    4. Re:No, I wasn't joking. by iggly_iguana · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm from New Orleans, and he could operate that way there. If you are only interested in a one shot, then run, that can be done anywhere.

      One Mardi Gras a person opened up with a pistol on Canal Street. He wasn't trying to hit anybody, just making noise. The "group" I was hosting started to run. I grabbed them, stopped them from running and told them just to pay attention to their surroundings, as nobody knew where the shots had come from, so how would you know where to run!

      My point is that this can be done anywhere, and in most of the cities I've been in, I would say it's more likely to happen because of the crowding.

      People are alot like locusts. Crowd them to much and they become dangerous.

      Have you ever seen the murder stats from cities like New Orleans? I currently live in a somewhat rural area and so far, the murder rate for the year is nill...

      Maybe I should blame it on a over-abundance of gun control in the DC area. (Don't worry, I won't do that, but it's as arbitrary as anything else.)

      Homo Sapiens are the only creatures on this planet that kill for no apparent reason. And, there isn't anything you can do to stop them, or deter them. It's just a fact of life.

    5. Re:No, I wasn't joking. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "One Mardi Gras a person opened up with a pistol on Canal Street. He wasn't trying to hit anybody, just making noise. The "group" I was hosting started to run. I grabbed them, stopped them from running and told them just to pay attention to their surroundings, as nobody knew where the shots had come from, so how would you know where to run!"

      Well done - you just turned your friends from being moving targets to sitting ducks!

      >Ignoring the DMCA since October 1998.

      Ignoring UK drug laws since 1990!

  66. Ship your convic ISPs to Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Worked in the past didn't it, at once stage you were shipping your surplus idiots to Australia by the boat load.

    We could do with a few more ISPs here.

    Its a rather dumb idea and I am glad to the UK ISPs are ganging up however if one decides to do it you are all stuffed.

    I hope Commonwealth of Australia does not decide to follow the same idea.

  67. Re: Lucy by iainl · · Score: 1

    "Everyone seems to like Lucy the dog, though... let's appoint her Home Secretary ;-)"

    Lucy is great. Certainly my favorite member of Parliament. Even cuter than Arthur Scargill's dog, who is was much a pushover as he wasn't.

    --
    "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
  68. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Ngwenya · · Score: 1

    channel 4 is government owned isn't it? Though ran like a private company

    Technically, this is true - in that C4 has no shareholders and holds a broadcast license from the government as long as a portion of its programming is public service.

    However, it reports under the auspices of the ITC, receives no public funding, and must support itself via commercial operations only. So, other than the government's ability to revoke its license (which they could do to any operator), it's difficult to see this as "ownership" in any meaningful way. To me, that phrase means at least some measure of managerial/editorial/financial control (I suppose appointing governors to the Board is one - but it never worked very well for the BBC!).

    The Tories keep on threatening to sell C4, but to use regulation to enforce public service broadcasting. Seems to me that it wouldn't make a lot of difference.

    --Ng

  69. Re:Unfortunately ...humor by michaelwb · · Score: 1

    Absolutely! Heck, I'm tired of big government stomping on our rights to kill people.

    You can't really call it a free society if you can't kill people who annoy you!

    And what about the pointless PC (Politically Correct) laws against cannibalism!

    - Michael
  70. UK ability to criticise government by MartinB · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Generally you're right, although it's worth noting that both your examples are BBC ones.

    Sky News is pretty good from the now and then that I catch it, as is Channel 4 news.

    All the broadsheet newspapers generally provide more challenge to the government than the present Westminster opposition do - even The Guardian which is nominally a Labour-supporting paper.

    It's actually quite interesting that the one policy theme that the current opposition could successfully pick up on as a basis for the next election is the Libertarian agenda, currently being touted by The Daily Telegraph (which has been the Conservative Party's candid friend for a long time).

    However, the Conservative Party has far too many internal interests who are bound to social authoritarianism despite their economic liberalism to go for this. It would be a brave step for them to refocus the party and lose a large part of the existing (small) support in the hope of gaining a larger support elsewhere.

    They've started to recognise this - that their authoritarianism makes the country view them as the 'nasty' party - but they'll have to move very carefully to make the move effectively.

    --

    The only thing you can accurately describe as "Scotch" is a sticky tape made by 3M. And it's

    1. Re:UK ability to criticise government by jez9999 · · Score: 0

      They've started to recognise this - that their authoritarianism makes the country view them as the 'nasty' party - but they'll have to move very carefully to make the move effectively.

      Yes and no; the conservatives are tough on crime, but have long been supporters of civil liberties. It's Labour and the Lib Dems (supporting) who have recently been pushing through these apalling laws which invade privacy in the name of aiding the police. Did Thatcher or Major do anything like this, or did they respect the laws which had been part of this country for a long time? You wouldn't see them interfering with the right to trial by jury.

    2. Re:UK ability to criticise government by MartinB · · Score: 2

      The key point is that they're only keen to defend civil liberties that are attractive to their current support, not the issues which will widen that support to a larger section of the electorate.

      So foxhunting - sure, they'll defend that. But you want to be gay, a parent without being married, take substances past the artificial line which marks out illegal drugs from legal ones? No chance.

      --

      The only thing you can accurately describe as "Scotch" is a sticky tape made by 3M. And it's

    3. Re:UK ability to criticise government by jez9999 · · Score: 0

      They at least defend existing civil liberties, if not new ones that some people are proposing. Fox hunting is an existing civil liberty, so they will defend it. But I'd just as much expect them to defend the right to privacy, the need for a prosecution to get evidence against you BEFORE they start monitoring your communications, rather than taking that right away, as Labour seem so keen to do.

  71. You're kidding! by DrXym · · Score: 2

    Let's all guess which country allows anyone to sell lists containing your name, age, sex, marital status, car, number of kids, address, home phone number, spending habits and much more besides. It seems like the US has a lot of catching up to do with the EU.

  72. Local voting by oliverthered · · Score: 1

    If he gets voted out locally, to anyone, there's no more David Blunket.

    --
    thank God the internet isn't a human right.
    1. Re:Local voting by samael · · Score: 2

      Damn good point. Although anyone made home secretary seems to instantly shoot rightwards by about 50 feet. David Blunkett seemed half reasonable before his appointment.

    2. Re:Local voting by oliverthered · · Score: 2

      hmmm...
      He had some very right wing teaching policies when he was education secutry. Reading hours and very set lesson structures.

      --
      thank God the internet isn't a human right.
  73. Sky News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    always struck me as an Americanised news network, insofar as it follows a very similar news agenda to various American TV "news" networks; look at how it covers Middle Eastern news, for example, and contrast it with the BBC|Channel 4's treatment of the same news items.

    Just my 2p.

  74. Ask Security Services to deny this by Garry+Anderson · · Score: 2

    I have posted similar comment several times before - the logic is undeniable. Nobody has ever gave reasoned argument against it:

    Ask Security Services in the US, UK or Indonesia (Bali), or anywhere for that matter, to deny this:

    Internet surveillance, using Echelon, Carnivore or back doors in encryption, will not stop terrorists communicating by other means - most especially face to face or personal courier.

    Terrorists will have to do that, or they will be caught.

    Perhaps using mobile when absolutely essential, saying - Meet you in the pub Monday (human bomb to target A), or Tuesday (target B) or Sunday (abort).

    The Internet has become a tool for government to snoop on their people - 24/7.

    The terrorism argument is a dummy - bull*.

    SURVEILLANCE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP TERRORISTS - IT IS SPIN AND PROPAGANDA

    This propaganda is for several reasons, including: a) making you feel safer b) that the government are doing something and c) the more malicious motive of privacy invasion.

    Government say about surveillance - you've nothing to fear - if you are not breaking the law

    This argument is made to pressure people into acquiescence - else appear guilty of hiding something.

    It does not address the real reason why they want this information (which they will deny) - they want a surveillance society.

    They wish to invade your basic human right to privacy. This is like having somebody watching everything you do - all your personal thoughts, hopes and fears will be open to them.

    This is everything - including phone calls and interactive TV. Quote from CNET: "Whether you're just accessing a Web site, placing a phone call, watching TV or developing a Web service, sometime in the not to distant future, virtually all such transactions will converge around Internet protocols."

    "Why should I worry? I do not care if they know what I do in my own home", you may foolishly say. This information will be held about you until the authorities need it for anything at all. Like, for example, here in the UK when government checked for dirt on individuals of the Paddington crash survivors group. This group was lead by the badly injured Pam Warren - whom they arrogantly presume would have nothing to worry about, having her privacy invaded.

    All your finances for them to scrutinize - heaven help you if you cannot account for every cent when they check on your taxes.

    Do not believe the LIES of Government - even more of your money spent on these measures will not protect us from terrorists.

    P.S. On the Domain Name System, big business steal words that belong to everybody - abridging what words you can use - violating the First Amendment. Don't believe me? Virtually every word is trademarked, be it Alpha to Omega or Aardvark to Zulu, most many times over. Even common words you learnt with your A B C's - apple, ball and cat. It is major Corporations illegally abusing and expand their brand using domain names - above other trademarks and all smaller businesses who use similar words - violating Trademark and Competition Law.

    The authorities LIE - they know how to make these trademark domains unique and totally distinctive, as the LAW requires trademarks to be. They are aiding and abetting the pervertion of Law. Please visit the World Intellectual Piracy Organization - not connected with the corrupt United Nations WIPO.org !

    1. Re:Ask Security Services to deny this by Dusabre · · Score: 2

      Paranoid about trademarks? The corporations can object to use of their trademarks in trade. And when they try to do the same in areas not connected with trade and the little guy stands up to them, they get slapped by the courts. Your vocabulary and freedom of speech is not being limited by trademarks.

      As far as domains are concerned, are I haven't heard a case of www.[generic noun].com being adjudicated against the holder under pressure from a corporation with [generic noun] trademark (considering that you can't easily trademark a simple noun unless you're in an area of business not related to that noun, its not surprising... By way of explaination, you could probably trademark "Computer" for a restaurant but couldn't for a computer shop). Now a more original turn of phrase can be trademarked and only the trademark holder can state that it has a moral (and legal) right to an original phrase that it uses. I have no sympathy for people squatting on Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and other original, non-generic phrases. But I'm open to comments and rebuttal.

    2. Re:Ask Security Services to deny this by incripshin · · Score: 1
      Government say about surveillance - you've nothing to fear - if you are not breaking the law.

      That's what the Nazis said.

      incripshin

    3. Re:Ask Security Services to deny this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I asked my Security Service contact ('Mavis') this.

      Unfortunately, the answer is secret.

  75. Not just Blunkett by Observer · · Score: 2
    David Blunkett has a habit of putting legislation into action that is far too heavy handed...
    It's not an individual matter. The Home Office (that's the branch of the UK government that deals with law and order and domestic security) has a long track record of using every opportunity that comes up to legislate additional powers for itself and its clients in the security services, with as little external oversight as it can smuggle through Parliament. Very few Home Secretaries have avoided 'going native' and taking up this agenda - the only name that comes readily to my mind is Roy jenkins, and that's going back around 30 years. Blunkett's immediate predecessors were even worse: Jack Straw - who introduced the accursed RIP Act in the first place - and Michael Howard, a Tory who managed the difficult feat of making even his fellow law-and-order Tories feel uncomfortable.

    Personally, I'd like to see the responsibilities for security and for justice in the UK split up into different government ministries: the Home Office is institutionally incapable of balancing the two.

  76. Yay, I applaud them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Governments are getting too big for their britches. Hopefully this will bolster other ISP's resolve to say "fuck you government". Man it is 9:10am and I am still drunk. Such is life for a college student

  77. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by MartinB · · Score: 3, Informative
    But that media which isn't owned by private entities is owned by the government, so we get right back to the issue of how much the government itself actually wants this.

    An easy misperception to make. Actually, the BBC is not owned by the government, and certainly isn't run by the government (although the government is a stakeholder which sets the broad regulatory (and funding) environment in which it operates, as is the case for all broadcasters).

    The BBC is an independent, self-running organisation, controlled by a board of governers which has a license to collect a license fee from television owners to fund itself. It is not politically possible for the government of the day to direct the content of the BBC, although it may from time to time pass statutes which control all broadcasters (such as the act which prevented the broadcasting of the voices of leaders of defined terrorist organisations. This act didn't actually accomplish anything as the broadcasters simply dubbed the pictures with the voices of actors).

    As the BBC is seen as broadcasting in the public interest, any move to bring its output under government direction would be seen by the population as the strongest movement possible towards a dictatorship.

    It would be easier for the government to revoke/reallocate the license for a commercial operator than the BBC. And the government has done this before when in the 80s it invited the incumbent ITV companies to reapply for their own licenses, including the level of cash they were to pay for the priviledge.

    --

    The only thing you can accurately describe as "Scotch" is a sticky tape made by 3M. And it's

  78. Re:Fuck you. by 91degrees · · Score: 1

    Power - The total work done in a unit time. Typically measured in Watts.

  79. The handgun guy owned his guns legally by Goonie · · Score: 1, Offtopic
    The guy that went psycho at Monash and killed those students bought and owned his guns perfectly legally. Handguns are not banned in Australia, though there are strict licensing and registration requirements and you can't carry legally carry around concealed weapons.

    From all the reports (and of course apply necessary salting), your self-defence arguments wouldn't have applied to the Monash case. The guy was almost certainly mentally ill, so he was unlikely to be deterred by the risk of being killed himself, and even if somebody had have been carrying a concealed weapon he still would have had time to kill people before a defensive weapon could be retrieved and used.

    Nor does it apply to our friend the Washington sniper, for that matter. Nobody has even seen him pull the trigger. People could carry around 50-cal sniper rifles, SAWs, or RPG's and it wouldn't help defend against him.

    --

    Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
    --Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
  80. LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by EvilAlien · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    The problem is that the rapid proliferation of new technologies, i.e., Internet, wireless, PCS, etc, is leaving law enforcement and national security agencies in the dust. Without new laws they simply cannot address new threats or criminal activity that use those new communication methods. Is this a threat to civil liberties? Hell yes, but a little thing happened last year in September that pushed civil liberties to the background for the "Free World".

    The new technologies make it very difficult to allow agencies to develop the suspicion further surveilance requires as an antecedant. Traditional communications did not include the same reasonable expectations of privacy that we have today. A phone call always required you to be tied to a handset on the wall, with the possibility of being overheard. The availability of privacy for the average citizen and the average criminal has increased dramatically, and this is the only (public) way that the law enforcement and national security agencies know how to handle it.

    Is this right? Is this a Bad Thing for the long run? Quite possibly. You also have no "long run" if you get blown up in a terrorist attack or murdered by someone who couldn't be caught because their ISP refused to cooperate.

    --
    perl -e 'print $i=pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10)'
    1. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by evbergen · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem is that the rapid proliferation of new technologies, i.e., Internet, wireless, PCS, etc, is leaving law enforcement and national security agencies in the dust. Without new laws they simply cannot address new threats or criminal activity that use those new communication methods. Is this a threat to civil liberties? Hell yes, but a little thing happened last year in September that pushed civil liberties to the background for the "Free World".

      And which of those new technologies were used for September 11th, exactly?

      That this event has pushed civil liberties to the background is not something to base policy on, it's something to fight against.

      Increased surveillance on citizens does *not* prevent terrorism by people determined enough to do it kamikaze-style. Period. See 9/11, see Israel every day, see Bali. Forget it. The idea that it would is tasteless, perverse propaganda from power-hungry politicians that are not ashamed to abuse 9/11 to further their existing agendas.

      --
      All generalizations are false, including this one. (Mark Twain)
    2. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by evbergen · · Score: 3, Interesting

      To put my answer even shorter: the fact that human communication is used to plan terrorist attacks, does not mean we should fight human communication.

      We'd be trowing away civilization faster than can be done by /any/ hijacked airplane or A-bomb.

      --
      All generalizations are false, including this one. (Mark Twain)
    3. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by AlecC · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Is this right? Is this a Bad Thing for the long run? Quite possibly. You also have no "long run" if you get blown up in a terrorist attack or murdered by someone who couldn't be caught because their ISP refused to cooperate.

      But "quite possibly" has not previously been a valid excuse for reducing civil liberties. The article qute clearly stated that, in the ISP's opinion, the govenment had failed to make the case that they data they wanted held would help in the fight against terrorism.

      If it would genuinely, provably, help in the fight against terrorism, I would be happy for this sort of thing to go through. But what is happening is that the government is finding things that, in their opinion, might help in the fight against something - social security fraud, for example - and trying to bring that in under the umbrella of the "war against terrorism". And that random extension of police powers on only a vague suspicion that it might help is somethign we must fight against.

      As a Brit, I am cheering this report. I don'tr want to be blown up, nor do I want anybody else blown up. But the government has to make a good case that these records will give a better chance of catching terrorists to justify both the infringement of liberties and the costs to the ISPs (which I, the ISP's customer, will pay).

      --
      Consciousness is an illusion caused by an excess of self consciousness.
    4. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by damiangerous · · Score: 4, Insightful
      a little thing happened last year in September that pushed civil liberties to the background for the "Free World".

      Without civil liberties it's not a very "free world" now is it? If we don't have freedom, what are we fighting to preserve, exactly?

    5. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by Darren+Winsper · · Score: 3, Informative

      "Traditional communications did not include the same reasonable expectations of privacy that we have today."
      What do you consider traditional? In the UK you needed (The RIP act made that past tense, hence why I will never vote for whichever party Jack Straw is in) to have a court order to be allowed to read somebodys mail or to tap their telephone.

    6. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by silas_moeckel · · Score: 1

      Were fighting to perserve the status quo of government they feel threatened (remember here in america revolutionaries were TERRORISTS they dont want that repeated) The only way threy could have slowed down something like 9/11 would have been a nice heavy steel door to the cockpit that stays locked perferably with armed personel inside a lot of them are old air force jocks.

      Communicatiosn happen all the time people with a decent brain can figure out ways to get messages accross a few watts of power and a short wave can get a message in blind drops, encrypted tunnels with friendly midpoints containing one time pad encrypted data will stay nearly imposible to crack.

      --
      No sir I dont like it.
    7. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by mickwd · · Score: 2

      Hell yes, but a little thing happened last year in September that pushed civil liberties to the background for the "Free World".

      Without civil liberties, you do not have a "Free World".

    8. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by Reziac · · Score: 2

      The British gov't has been fighting IRA terrorists for what, 60 or 70 years now? I recall seeing a BBC article about a year ago, which stated that all that extra surveillance inflicted on UK citizens has not prevented ONE SINGLE terrorist incident. None.

      Monitoring ISPs sortof assumes that everyone who is up to no good has forgotten how to read, write, speak, dial a phone, ride a bus, etc. Maybe when a locator and thought monitor chip becomes mandatory, they'll actually catch a terrorist in advance of the event.

      Or maybe they'll just catch a lot of grade schoolers shouting "I wish you were dead!" at each other.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    9. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      hmm.. what is your definition of "free world"? sounds to me like it means the US of A only.

      I don't give a flying fuck about your little incident on september 11th, as far as I'm concerned you've had it coming for a long time.

      I do remember however one of your presidents making an oft-quoted statement of people who are willing to sacrifice liberties for some temporary security not deserving neither the liberty nor the security. You should heed his advice.

    10. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by mpe · · Score: 2

      The problem is that the rapid proliferation of new technologies, i.e., Internet, wireless, PCS, etc, is leaving law enforcement and national security agencies in the dust. Without new laws they simply cannot address new threats or criminal activity that use those new communication methods.

      Actually quite a bit of the problem appears to be that law enforcement has itself been so interested in using new technologies for intercepting communications that "old-fashioned" detective work has taken something of a back seat. Simply trawling through emails and phone calls stands very little chance of catching terrorists or mobsters. Especially if there is no one in the agency concerned who understands the language or dialect the people involved use.

      Is this a threat to civil liberties? Hell yes, but a little thing happened last year in September that pushed civil liberties to the background for the "Free World".

      How would having new laws ensured that the FBI had people who understood Arabic languages? How would such laws have made sure that the FAA and NORAD jad followed their published procedures? How would they have ensured that the US had an air defence system which actually worked? How about stopping someone in WTC announcing "things are pefectly safe, go back to your offices"? Would these laws have persuaded someone that having a fire drill in The Pentagon would be a good idea?

      The new technologies make it very difficult to allow agencies to develop the suspicion further surveilance requires as an antecedant. Traditional communications did not include the same reasonable expectations of privacy that we have today. A phone call always required you to be tied to a handset on the wall, with the possibility of being overheard.

      The idea of being able to communicate without third parties knowing what is being communicated or even if any communication is taking place at all date back to prehistory. Covert communication is quite probably started soon after humans invented the concept of language.

    11. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by mpe · · Score: 2

      Increased surveillance on citizens does *not* prevent terrorism by people determined enough to do it kamikaze-style.

      Indeed it may make things easier for actual terrorists and criminals. Since mass surveillance has an utterly awful signal to noise ratio. Assuming that it will actually be used for law enforcement, rather than blackmail or espionage. There is also a big risk of the information gathered getting in to the hands of criminals, either because they have spys within the data gathering organisation or even be the people running it.

    12. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by mpe · · Score: 2

      Monitoring ISPs sortof assumes that everyone who is up to no good has forgotten how to read, write, speak, dial a phone, ride a bus, etc. Maybe when a locator and thought monitor chip becomes mandatory, they'll actually catch a terrorist in advance of the event

      Such technology would come with the ability to hide and fake such signals. Otherwise every criminal would simply use their black market "cop detector", to be sure that no police were around and their gang had not been infiltrated.

      Or maybe they'll just catch a lot of grade schoolers shouting "I wish you were dead!" at each other.

      That's the problem with mass surveillance, so much noise that the real "baddies" probably don't have to try hiding too much.

    13. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by mpe · · Score: 2

      Were fighting to perserve the status quo of government they feel threatened (remember here in america revolutionaries were TERRORISTS they dont want that repeated)

      The definition of "terrorist", "freedom fighter" or "revolutionary" tends to subjectivly depend on if the writer/speaker supports or opposes the position represented. From a historical perspective if they succed or fail.

      The only way threy could have slowed down something like 9/11 would have been a nice heavy steel door to the cockpit that stays locked perferably with armed personel inside a lot of them are old air force jocks.

      Having fighters scrambled immediatly the jets went off course would have helped too, which is the usual procedure in most parts of the world, including the US. Whilst suicide terrorists might be perfectly prepared to die (if they complete their mission) they could easily change their minds if it were given a choice between being dead & having failed and alive & in custody.

    14. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by Reziac · · Score: 2

      You're right about the hide-and-go-fake problem ... in fact, I foresee a thriving new market for tinfoil hats!!

      As to the noise level issue, it becomes clear that everyone with six rowdy kids MUST be a suspect. Otherwise why would they put up with six rowdy kids?? :)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    15. Re:LEAs have no other choice to catch the bad guys by rnws · · Score: 1

      As a Brit you have more chance of being slaughtered by one of the rail company operators in the UK than you do of being murdered by terrorists. Period.

      Corporate negilgence in the name of profit is just so much more acceptible than murder in the name of God.

      Perhaps if people were aware of the real risks in their daily lives, they'd be less likely to give up my freedoms for me without bloody asking me first!

      Say 300 people die in a plane crash - so what? That many people are killed by drunk driving each week in the USA. The number one killer of children in the UK is not paedophiles but careless drivers.

      Your ignorance is not worth my freedoms.

  81. It'lll be dropped by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This will get dropped/challenged and dropped:

    #1 the legislation will hurt big business (and every UK party seems to think big business >>> citizens)
    #2 With all the other crap going down (firefighters going on strike, a-level cock-ups etc.) the government needs some good press.
    #3 This law is pointless anyway (if you really want to do something bad then just use SSL).
    #4 With all the other legislation (data protection, email-snooping junk, EU bits & bobs) it's too damn complex already. Any data obtained by this method is going to violate at least 1 law by my reckonning.
    #5 The odds of this being challenged are high, the odds of the government having covered every line of attack (human rights, uk law, EU law etc.) are practically zero (they seem to lose all the cases now).

  82. Actually, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The "Ring Of Steel" did in fact stop several IRA car bombs from entering the City, which of course also led to a large number of arrests and the breakup of several IRA cells.

  83. You limeys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You limeys are so naive.

    You accept cameras everywhere because you're told its a good thing.

    Now the government wants a record of all your communication without suspicion.

    Your leader wants you to go to war against Iraq because they're the enemy. This month.

    What's the difference between your life and the life in 1984?

    Nothing.

    US is getting there; the difference is the country is big enough that there are pockets of people not dependent on technology the way urban/suburban people are. But that will end sooner rather than later.

    Meanwhile, you put yourself in purgatory, and don't seem to mind the flames licking all around you.

  84. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by isorox · · Score: 2

    What you say stands, just to clear up a couple of points
    1) What about (channel) five?
    2) The BBC have 2 analog stations (with opt-outs), and 4 digital (news24/parliment/[choice|cbeebies]/[four|cbbc]). Thats 96 hours a day.
    3) There are 5 national bbc radio stations (1,2,3,4,5) on analog, and another 4 or 5 digital. There are 3 national analog independent stations (talk, classic, virgin), and a few on digital. There are more local and university radio stations then bbc local stations - although most come under about 5 big networks (GWR, Century, Galaxy etc)
    4) The BBC is pretty independent, more so then the biased views of other stations which exist to futhur their own viewership and therefore profits, and the CEO's political stance.

  85. Re:Fuck you. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cept history maybe. Like, actually _having_ some history. Oh, and have done the Empire thing. GWB is trying, but not having much joy...
    (Yes, there was a battle of hastings, and yes, it _was_ nearly 1000 years ago. History did not start in 1492)

  86. Side effects of guns by AlecC · · Score: 2

    On staistic to bear in mind is that more children are killed with guns in bona-fide accidents (children thought it was a toy, didn't know it was loaded...) in the US than were killed with guns from all causes from accidents to police marksmen in the UK. (The Economist, a few months ago).

    Of course there is a *4 in population to account for here, but it is still a heck of a lot of accidents

    So regardless of the rights and wrong, the morality or immorality, the criminals or the innocent hobbyists, the Constitution and all, the US is paying for its freedom with its childrens lives.

    --
    Consciousness is an illusion caused by an excess of self consciousness.
    1. Re:Side effects of guns by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      Hrmm.. I see...

      So it is ok to strip my rights away because my neighbor is a dumb sh1t who left his loaded handgun where his kid could play with it?

      Why not go after the negligent person instead of the innocent one?

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    2. Re:Side effects of guns by AlecC · · Score: 2

      Because you can't predict the negligent person in advance. Fools will be fools - but you cannot predict in advance who will be a fool.

      I wasn't saying that you should go after anyone - I am sure the idiot who left his loaded gun around has been punished enough by the death of his child. I wan't even saying you *should* give up your right to guns. I was pointing out that, in a world populated by real human beings not perfect theoretical people, your right to guns is bought at a cost to your (collective) children. And this will be true until we get bug-free people - and we can't get bug-free software yet. The more guns, the more accidents. But they are your children, not mine; if you feel that is a price worth paying, that is your democratic right. I am not standing on the opposite side of the Atlantic telling you how to run your country. I am, however, saying that I am glad that we have chosen to run our country differently.

      --
      Consciousness is an illusion caused by an excess of self consciousness.
    3. Re:Side effects of guns by parliboy · · Score: 2
      You should have the right to own a gun. Really, I'm a fan of distorting the Constitution as much as the next guy, and I think you should have the opportunity to bear firearms.

      The problem is in the actual regulation. How much training were you required to go through before you got your gun? Do all of the members of your family go through training (even the younger ones, so that they know to respect the gun, and so that they know it's not just daddy's toy)? Is it state or federally mandated that you had to prove that you knew what the hell you were doing before they let you take one of those things home with you?

      This isn't a black or white matter of guns or no guns. People on either side of think so are delusional. This is a question of how carefully we screen and prepare gun recipients. Do we make sure they're prepared for the responsibility, or do we hand them over with new bank accounts and throw caution to the wind? How much accountability do you, the gun dealers (gun shows included) and the government have in insuring that people with weapons are people who know how do take care of weapons?

      Qualification: I'm not a gun owner. I knew I wouldn't be one the day I went onto a range and my sheet came back without any holes. However, I know several, and most of them treat their weapons with the necessary respect and restrain due them. The ones that don't, well let's just say that's not an extra armrest in the front seat of the car, and pray that they're forced into choosing between responsbility or giving up their arms.

      --
      "You're never ready, just less unprepared."
    4. Re:Side effects of guns by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      Because you can't predict the negligent person in advance. Fools will be fools - but you cannot predict in advance who will be a fool.

      Agreed, so the issue is not taking away guns, it keeping them out of the hands of stupid people. Hey, truth be told, I'm all for that. I'd be in favor of reasonable training and even registration if it was done right. Unfortunately, I know that the training would get more and more far-fetched until nobody could do it and the registration would be the first step in rounding them all up. It's happened that way in 2 other countries, IIRC.

      that is your democratic right

      Democracy? I wish... :-)

      I am not standing on the opposite side of the Atlantic telling you how to run your country. I am, however, saying that I am glad that we have chosen to run our country differently.

      I'm glad also. I value my right, but I also appreciate the responsibility that comes with it: as do most legal gun owners. There are always exceptions, but you have that with a drivers license as well. :-)

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    5. Re:Side effects of guns by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      You should have the right to own a gun. Really, I'm a fan of distorting the Constitution as much as the next guy, and I think you should have the opportunity to bear firearms.

      I wish the founding fathers would have been a little more clear on the words in question.

      The problem is in the actual regulation. How much training were you required to go through before you got your gun? Do all of the members of your family go through training (even the younger ones, so that they know to respect the gun, and so that they know it's not just daddy's toy)? Is it state or federally mandated that you had to prove that you knew what the hell you were doing before they let you take one of those things home with you?

      I would like to see more training to own, and much more to carry. However, the system would soon set the training requirements so high that it would effectively deny many qualified citizens the right to have a firearm. I live alone, but if I had children any gun not on my person or in my immediate presence would be secured, and the child would get training from don't touch at first to a shooting range as they age.

      This isn't a black or white matter of guns or no guns. People on either side of think so are delusional. This is a question of how carefully we screen and prepare gun recipients. Do we make sure they're prepared for the responsibility, or do we hand them over with new bank accounts [bowlingforcolumbine.com] and throw caution to the wind? How much accountability do you, the gun dealers (gun shows included) and the government have in insuring that people with weapons are people who know how do take care of weapons?

      I agree with you again, as long as those requirements weren't abused by the government, a body which has a history of abusing well intentioned laws.

      Qualification: I'm not a gun owner. I knew I wouldn't be one the day I went onto a range and my sheet came back without any holes. However, I know several, and most of them treat their weapons with the necessary respect and restrain due them. The ones that don't, well let's just say that's not an extra armrest in the front seat of the car, and pray that they're forced into choosing between responsbility or giving up their arms.

      You didn't truly expect to fire accurately your first time out, did you? Like anything else, it takes practice. Personally, I like the practice. For me, it is the same as throwing darts. I follow all safety guidelines, fanatically, and trust me on this: it's a weapon, not a toy. The minute you stop thinking that way, yes, THEN you are a hazard to others. I respect the right and the awesome responsibility that accompanies it. If there was a way to accurately test for that respect, then we'd have found the criteria to use in issuing permits.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    6. Re:Side effects of guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I didn't have the right to bear arms in the first place, it's just a perverted twisted interpretation of the US constitution (unless you consider yourself to be part of militia).

    7. Re:Side effects of guns by Blue+Stone · · Score: 1

      Hmmm...

      But what about the child's right to life?
      It's not exactly their fault they have a "dumb sh1t" gun-owning parent.

      The argument that "arming everyone makes the world a safer place" is an argument I just don't buy.

      --
      Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
    8. Re:Side effects of guns by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      But what about the child's right to life?

      They could electrocute themselves with a screwdriver and a light socket, or burn to death by playing with matches, too. Focus on the real problem: bad parents. Otherwise, you are just treating a symptom.

      It's not exactly their fault they have a "dumb sh1t" gun-owning parent.

      Nor is it mine.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    9. Re:Side effects of guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No innocent person needs a tool of death.

    10. Re:Side effects of guns by yatest5 · · Score: 1

      Agreed, so the issue is not taking away guns, it keeping them out of the hands of stupid people

      You are a right arrogant prick. If you believe accidents only happen to stupid people then you have alot to learn about life. What about if your child was round at a house with a loaded gun?

      IN other news, I would just *love* to see you (probably a high school nerd) try and protect yourself against a gangster who had decided they wanted you dead, gun or not.

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    11. Re:Side effects of guns by mpe · · Score: 2

      I would like to see more training to own, and much more to carry. However, the system would soon set the training requirements so high that it would effectively deny many qualified citizens the right to have a firearm.

      Whilst this might keep guns out of the hands of the stupid it wouldn't do much to keep them out of the hands of the criminal. A criminal might be able to pass the course, failing that they can probably get a black market gun or forged credentials. Let alone that there is nothing to stop a cop or solider being a crook.

    12. Re:Side effects of guns by mpe · · Score: 2

      The argument that "arming everyone makes the world a safer place" is an argument I just don't buy.

      It appeared to work in the cold war. Though aptly known as "MAD". The problem is that if you attempt to disarm people the "crooks" will pay no notice at all.

    13. Re:Side effects of guns by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      You are a right arrogant prick.

      I've been called worse by better. Did my "stupid people" comment hit too close to home, you stupid prick?

      If you believe accidents only happen to stupid people then you have alot to learn about life.

      I believe stupid people are more likely to create situations where accidents happen than smart people are. Ever heard of Darwin?

      What about if your child was round at a house with a loaded gun?

      By the time my kid was old enough to go to a friend's house that I didn't know the parents, the kid would know about guns and what not to do. Good parents teach their kids about potentially dangerous things. I wish your parents hadn't, though. Some Darwinism would have been good in your case.

      IN other news, I would just *love* to see you (probably a high school nerd) try and protect yourself against a gangster who had decided they wanted you dead, gun or not.

      In other news, I found it ironic that a stupid prick who got mad at me for having a supposedly uninformed opinion had an uninformed (and very incorrect) opinion.

      Cheers, you stupid prick.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    14. Re:Side effects of guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      It appeared to work in the cold war.

      Yeah and what a wonderful world that was to live in.

      Fucking moron.

  87. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am constantly amazed by how the majority groups with in Nations, Trade unions and Political organizations neglect to make use of their democratic rights to govern them selves and get rolled over by a small but determined minority that makes excellent use of its democratic rights.

    Yeah, like those Fire Fighters. They wouldn't strike in a million yea...whats that you say? Uh, gotta go!

  88. Armed robber strickes by oliverthered · · Score: 2


    A rober armed with what looked like a shot-gun attempted to steal 100 bars of chocolate from a petrol station. When the attendant resisted the robber was heard to mumble, 'fuck, i'm to stoned to even bother'.

    --
    thank God the internet isn't a human right.
    1. Re:Armed robber strickes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When the attendant resisted the robber was heard to mumble, 'fuck, i'm to stoned to even bother'.

      "Gimme 20 No. 1 and some red king size Rizla. Heres a fiver. *shuffles off*"

    2. Re:Armed robber strickes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      A can of coke and some drawing pins (not that I've ever done crack)

  89. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
    The BBC has a history of being rather more critical of the government of the day than the privately owned outlets

    I'm beginning to think this is turning...the BBC has been very much for the "War on (black) Terror" and "Attack Iraq" campaigns. The reporting of the the "terrorists" echos far too closely the official party line too much for my liking; there appears to be very little critism despite obvious falacies in many of the policies i.e. Saddams "Terrorist" links (or complete lack thereof)

    Many people have observed that it appears that the BBC is dumbing down and becoming more tabloid-like. I'm in agreement with them.

  90. Same old stance, same old reason... by Andy+Smith · · Score: 2

    The reason that ISPs don't want to help the police in monitoring the activities of their users is that they know illegal activity is an attractive part of the Internet.

  91. AOL by Duds · · Score: 2, Interesting

    AOL already does this. Their entire UK operation is run out of the USA. They use this neat little trick to avoid paying sales tax on their subscriptions too.

    Although that loop hole will be closed next June.

  92. The Register by GalionTheElf · · Score: 2, Insightful

    has also picked this up, with quite a few interesting links to add

    --
    I'm going over here and I don't know why!
  93. You have been listening to propaganda by Garry+Anderson · · Score: 2

    Sorry Dustin - your logic is flawed. Also you seem unaware of the big picture of the corruption that has been going on - possibly because of propaganda by authorities and corporations.

    > Paranoid about trademarks?

    No - I always said that I am pro-trademark - not wanting anybody to be conned by some fraudster passing themselves off as trademark holders.

    > The corporations can object to use of their trademarks in trade. And when they try to do the same in areas not connected with trade and the little guy stands up to them, they get slapped by the courts. Your vocabulary and freedom of speech is not being limited by trademarks.

    You are ill-informed - this is not the case on the Internet.

    > As far as domains are concerned, are I haven't heard a case of www.[generic noun].com being adjudicated against the holder under pressure from a corporation with [generic noun] trademark (considering that you can't easily trademark a simple noun unless you're in an area of business not related to that noun, its not surprising...

    You are wrong. Trademarks are given priority in Sunrise and UDRP - abridging your choice of words - surely a violation of the First Amendment. Virtually every word is trademarked - here is a list of a few domains taken by WIPO: video net, roller blade, best locks, nitro fuel, tonsil, north face, marketing mix, 0xygen, edentist, state-farm, new-gig, video direct, iphones, open mail, traditions, open view, unicode, southern company, pc gateway, ultra pure water, time keeper, click here, current, beauty co, sound-choice, e-auto-parts, eresolution, body and soul, talk about, esquire, office specialists, crew, praline, the total package, faith net, buy PC, home interiors, big dog, euro consult, music web, RANT...etc.

    This does not include domains like JT.com taken by UN WIPO which could be used by any business or individual. Nor does it include any domains that have been bullied by corporate lawyers before they got to WIPO - nor any of the other 'so-called' arbitors.

    > By way of explaination, you could probably trademark "Computer" for a restaurant but couldn't for a computer shop).

    I am well versed in this subject and have used this "Computer" example myself. Quote:

    A trademark cannot be for the same class as the word - for instance the word 'COMPUTER' can be used for selling socks and tights - but not computers.

    UK trademark 1134604 - 'COMPUTER'

    Proprietor: Dunlop Australia Limited

    Class 25: Stockings, panti-hose; socks and tights, all for wear.

    http://forum.icann.org/cgi-bin/rpgmessage.cgi?ne wt ldevaluationprocess;3CAF3A260000026F

    > Now a more original turn of phrase can be trademarked and only the trademark holder can state that it has a moral (and legal) right to an original phrase that it uses. I have no sympathy for people squatting on Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and other original, non-generic phrases. But I'm open to comments and rebuttal.

    The Coca-Cola to stop cybersquatter example is one that is used in corporate propaganda to give all big business unlawful priority in Sunrise and UDRP.

    The solution to this problem has been ratified by honest lawyers. Trademark holders do not own the vast majority of domains - it is obvious that something is needed to highlight them - to replace the registered trademark symbol. A new protected TLD of .reg would do that. This is for the same reasons, primarily to advise people that the mark is legally registered and protected by law.

  94. Another thought by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The one (only?) good side effect would be that ISPs hosting spammers would get gtreatly irritated to have to log a spammers outgoing traffic.

    Suddenly hosting a spammer incures an additional cost!

  95. Possibly incorrect by arafel · · Score: 1

    Privately owned in the sense of not belonging to the government, yes.

    However (from memory) the Guardian is owned by a trust specifically set up for running the paper. I don't remember about the Independent, but I think a similar arrangement exists there too.

    WRT other ones like the Times, Telegraph, Mail etc. though, those are pretty much owned by individuals. Often with an axe to grind.

  96. This guy is as dumb as a box of rocks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do you realize the population density of most of the places he's hit is probably higher than the areas you mentioned?

    You are what we call a "fucktard".

    You twist the facts and then draw conclusion that fir your agenda, not what's happening in the real world.

  97. Of course... by purrpurrpussy · · Score: 1

    The sort of "Britishers" you are going to find on slashdot are a-typical Britishers*. They are the sort of people who seek out information, news and comment. Most people need it thrust apon them.

    * I love that word!

    --
    "None of this shit works" -W.Shatner
  98. Wow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, lets make the parents responsible for every last thing their child does! In fact, lets just mandate that all children must be kept locked up in doors until the age of 16, so that they cannot play outside, and possibly inconveniance *you* into having to drive a little slower!

    Did you just hatch out of an egg fully developed, or did you actually grow up like the rest of us?

    1. Re:Wow! by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 2
      Amazingly, my parents actually watched me. They didn't expect the neighbors to do it. When I was old enough to know how to survive, then I got more freedom. I think I was 7 or 8 and knew not to go into the street. What's so hard about that?

      I didn't mean to inconvenience *you* into having to watch your own kids.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    2. Re:Wow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      damn your parents

      that would have been such a good opportunity to get rid of you

  99. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Samrobb · · Score: 1
    ...retention of ISP data records just isn't the sort of thing that popular revolutions are made of...

    Absolutely correct. Revolting over this would be as ridiculous as as revolting over some silly little tax on tea!

    --
    "Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgement." Job 32:9
  100. Its not as hard as you think to log by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Really I can picture a few ways and I dont think it will take quite as much space as you let on though I grant you there is some cost and space involved. You figure first you dump everything into a file, then at intervals you dump file into database. Let a table keep the sites you visit and link it to a time and date table. For fields for identification purposes and VIOLA you have logging. Every so often depending on traffic you pack down the Database back it up clear it out start the next cycle.

    Email I think presents a slight challenge.

  101. Theres always the question of by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    What are you scared of? If your not doing anything wrong theres no problem. What people are afraid of really is LOSING THE POSSIBLITY/ABILITY to do something wrong if they want to without getting caught. People feel like sure I'm not doing anything now but maybe one day I'll want to look up how to steal cable or whatnot. There argument is the gov shouldnt be able to search for that. Why not?

    I love the old well you were searching my house for Marijauna but all you found was Cocain and heroin so you should be able to hold that against me. Its not a game of let me try and guess what your doing wrong and if I get it wrong you go free.

  102. Eschelon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Doesn't the UK government have access to that spying system called Eschelon? Why do they even need this from ISPs?

  103. moving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i am moving there

  104. Brain Speed by gando · · Score: 1

    I knew a sherrif deputy who could regularly out draw and shoot (with an unloaded gun), someone who had a (unloaded) gun already out.

    He knew what he was going to do, and when, as opposed to the person who had the gun out, who was reacting to the situation (shoot only if the guy draws). Granted, you might not stop someone who is holding a gun on you from shooting, but it could be done regularly with some training.

    There are many crimes every day that are deterred by individuals with guns. Everyday there are many people that defend themselves successfully with guns.

    Taking a great defense tool out of the hands of the people who are willing to carry guns, and forcing them to rely on their government to protect them without holding the government responsible for not protecting them is wrong.

    --
    --Fac Iustum Nec Time-- --Veritas Prevalibit--
  105. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    fuck, the difference between BBC and any US news organization is like the difference between night and day. I would --any day-- choose BBC over the US news channels, privately owned or not.

    They actually have some kind of idea what objective news reporting means.

    Not a citizen of either UK or the US. Just making an observation here.

  106. Re:Fuck you. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    umm.. europeans were building empires long before your pathetic country even existed.

    but then I guess it would be too much to ask for an american moron to really know anything about anything -- including history.

  107. Amen. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Certainly. But porn and warez are the best part of the internet.

    if not for that, I might as well use a BBS and dial-up at 2400 baud.

    No shit.

  108. UK driving by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 2
    By "normally" you mean "When a kid doesn't run out in front of me" I take it? Are you in that much of a hurry?

    No, by "normally" I mean in dry conditions with decent visibility. (Sorry, I also put in a typo: where I wrote 40mph, I actually meant 30mph, the previous speed limit on the road in question.)

    The road I'm thinking of is long and straight, you can see for probably 250m on a clear day, there is clear space for several metres on both sides of the road most of the way down, most of the time there's a fence at the side, and there are only a few access roads, which all have decent visibility. Where exactly was this child of yours going to come from?

    Ah, yes, the school. The one place along the road where the above doesn't quite apply (though you can see much further to the side of the road there). Anyone who drives quickly past a school when there are kids around probably shouldn't be allowed on the road anyway, whatever the speed limit. This is not a good reason to turn more than a mile of 30mph road into 20mph with speed humps, mini roundabouts and such. (Incidentally, the mini roundabouts were marked up so badly they actually caused accidents, and had to be changed a few months after installation.) Of course, the fact that the route was sometimes used as a rat run by a small number of inconsiderate drivers is also ample grounds for penalising the rest of us.

    This is just one example, in a city full of them (Cambridge). We have speed cameras all over the city now, on "accident black spots", in the interests of increasing "road safety". Curiously, accident figures just published are actually up around 50% this year, and as usual, the authorities are out claiming that speed is the major cause of accidents. Obviously, the absurd road layouts (the ends of bus lanes are great for silly traffic lights), the total disrespect for speed limits now exhibited by many drivers because so many limits are inappropriate, and the number of roundabouts they've redesigned recently making them much harder to drive around safely have nothing to do with it, though.

    Hell, the government's own research group, the Transport Research Laboratory, has published reports debunking the "speed kills" myth and showing that speed is actually a major cause of only a small number of accidents. The government chose to ignore the recommendations of that, and many other, informed reports, in favour of politically correct (or so they think) measures such as blocking off access through the town centre. Now it takes me half an hour, adding to congestion on main routes, to get to the gym after work. Before, I could have driven along a direct route, completely out of the way, in five minutes. That's really aiding the environment, congestion in the second most congested city in the UK, etc, isn't it?

    The sort of blind adherence to dogma and complete cynicism with which they act on it are exactly the reasons government shouldn't be able to restrict our freedoms in this sort of way. The alternative, trusting the population at large to be sensible and going after those actually causing real problems, seems to be beyond them.

    --
    If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
  109. Wake up, people! by EvilAlien · · Score: 2
    Hence "Free World" was in quotes.

    You are all missing the point. The argument I've presented is exactly that proposed by governments around the world, case in point: Canadian Government's Lawful Access Consultation Document.

    That being said, the fact is, whether or not you choose to believe it, that criminals, terrorists, etc etc are using new technologies to communicate and legislation for the new techologies tends to lag behind that for existing and well established technologies such as POTS. Governents know this, and legislation such as CALEA seek to bridge that gap. What we need to be vigilant about is to ensure that mistakes made in existing legislation are not propagated for the new.

    We must ensure that civil liberties and human rights are maintained while allowing law enforcement to protect the rights of the people. Retaining logs at the ISP level does not equate with disclosing logs to law enforcement agencies. I don't know what legal hoops LEAs in the UK must jump through to arrange disclosure, but there are legal tests that must take place and judicial involvement to ensure that the rights of the "person of interest" are maintained.

    Those of you modding my original comment down, or refusing to mod it up because you don't like what I said despite it being informative (it is, if you don't think that is the stance that government is taking and their publicly stated perspective, then you are fooling yourself), you should check your assumptions and think very hard on whether you are capable of thinking objectively. Information which is distasteful to you can be just as valid and informative as that which coincides with your world view. Think outside the box, try devil's advocacy some time, you might find it opens your mind so you are actually thinking, not just regurgitating what you've been taught.

    --
    perl -e 'print $i=pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10)'
    1. Re:Wake up, people! by mpe · · Score: 2

      We must ensure that civil liberties and human rights are maintained while allowing law enforcement to protect the rights of the people.

      In a truely free society people can protect their own rights.

      Retaining logs at the ISP level does not equate with disclosing logs to law enforcement agencies.

      Who does it benefit and do these benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

  110. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by John+Ineson · · Score: 1

    > Channel 4 is in public ownership

    Errrr, no -- the ITV franchises, including 4 & 5, are commercial entities.

    > The BBC has within it a large number of TV and
    > radio stations. On the TV side, they have 2
    > nationally broadcast terrestrial stations (out
    > of 5), with about 6 sets of regional opt-outs,
    > plus 3 cable services

    Where 3 == 6 (CBBC, CBeebies, BBC News 24, BBC Choice, BBC Four and BBC Parliament).

    > while on Radio, they have 4 national stations

    Pardon? Have you ever even visited the UK? Even if you can't count, they number the stations, and Radio 5 has been around for over 10 years now.

    Of course that's not counting the digital stations (of which there are at least 2, plus data streams) and the magnificent World Service.

    > (compared to I think 2 national commercial
    > rivals)

    Try 4.

  111. D-Notice on the D-Notice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As this recent The Age article explains regarding an on-going High Court case, even the imposition of a D-Notice can be subjected to a D-Notice preventing any UK-based media from reporting one has been applied. Good job we can't read non-UK based media outlets these days, eh?

  112. Accurate info re: recent shootings in melbourne by pompomtom · · Score: 1

    I believe Australia also banned handguns a few years ago

    No, Australia did not ban handguns. The guns used in yesterday's shootings were legally registered to the shooter.

    --

    Buckets,

    pompomtom

    "There's an exception to every rule. Except for some rules"
  113. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by drinkypoo · · Score: 2
    I mean, the government gets whatever it wants, because it has all the power. It has all the power because it has all the guns, and that is especially true in the UK.
    I feel sorry for a certain type of American. You don't realise how screwed up your world-view is.

    Okay, I know this is a troll, and you shouldn't feed trolls because they grow...

    But the reason that America is the country it is today is that "we" (obviously I was not living at the time) fought back (with guns and other weapons of destruction) against oppression.

    The constitution guarantees us the right to bear arms partly so that we can overthrow the government. The idea is that if the government rests uneasy they will spend more time considering the repercussions of their actions.

    The down side (and there always is one) is that the American government has a two-forked plan to keep us under control. First, take away our guns, especially those useful for harming the government. This (and not crime) is the real reason they are taking away our assault rifles, and high-powered rifles with clips which hold more than five rounds. I do agree that only a lousy hunter needs more than five rounds in his rifle, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be allowed to have a 15 round magazine on my .30-06. Any asshole with a little manufacturing skill can make one, after all, and they ARE out there and available, so people who want to use them for ill can get them. It is somewhat more difficult what with "gun control" in this country but by no means impossible. Anything less than impossible is just jerking off.

    Threat of armed revolt has been known to keep governments working more or less in the interest of the people in the past. Armed revolt has been known to replace tyrannical governments with ones which work more in the interest of the people, as well.

    So tell me again how screwed up the world view of an American who believes that guns can help secure rights is, and I will continue to think you are a pompous buffoon who wouldn't understand freedom if it was sitting on your face.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  114. Re:Unfortunately ...humor by DavidTC · · Score: 1
    Seriously, why is there a law against cannibalism? I mean, yes, if you kill someone, you probably shouldn't get to eat them, just like you shouldn't get anything from their will. (In fact, that might be the same thing...their body should be given out in their will.)

    This is just one prohibition that baffles me. Was it honestly such a big problem it needed outlawing? Has canniblism ever been a big problem in any even vaguely modern society? Hell, has it been a problem since laws were codified?

    Why the hell are we making laws against things that are not problems? Is it worthwide to prosecute the two cases that happen every decade?

    Cannibalism is a victimless crime, especially if you've learned how to cook the entire body.

    --
    If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
  115. Re:So now the govt will make the records mandatory by sql*kitten · · Score: 2

    It is not politically possible for the government of the day to direct the content of the BBC

    Other than appointing Party donors to all the top jobs, you mean? Which is exactly what they've done. I don't know if you caught any of the coverage of the recent Labour Party conference, but it was impossible to tell where the spin doctors stopped and the BBC began.

  116. Mod parent up please by sql*kitten · · Score: 2

    The reason that ISPs don't want to help the police in monitoring the activities of their users is that they know illegal activity is an attractive part of the Internet.

    Well, maybe not illegal, but stuff you wouldn't necessarily want the public (and hence your family and friends) to know that you did, like looking at pr0n and gambling. Demand from paying pr0n customers is why we have cheap, ubiquitous bandwidth like ADSL available now. If those users go away, it'll make the dot.com implosion look like a picnic.

  117. Last Post! by alpg · · Score: 1

    There once was a man who went to a computer trade show. Each day as
    he entered, the man told the guard at the door:
    "I am a great thief, renowned for my feats of shoplifting. Be
    forewarned, for this trade show shall not escape unplundered."
    This speech disturbed the guard greatly, because there were millions
    of dollars of computer equipment inside, so he watched the man carefully.
    But the man merely wandered from booth to booth, humming quietly to himself.
    When the man left, the guard took him aside and searched his clothes,
    but nothing was to be found.
    On the next day of the trade show, the man returned and chided the
    guard saying: "I escaped with a vast booty yesterday, but today will be even
    better." So the guard watched him ever more closely, but to no avail.
    On the final day of the trade show, the guard could restrain his
    curiosity no longer. "Sir Thief," he said, "I am so perplexed, I cannot live
    in peace. Please enlighten me. What is it that you are stealing?"
    The man smiled. "I am stealing ideas," he said.
    -- Geoffrey James, "The Tao of Programming"

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