Slashdot Mirror
The UK Will Police the Dark Web With a New Task Force (vice.com)
An anonymous reader writes with news that the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), and its top police counterpart, the National Crime Agency have formed a new unit to take on online crime. Motherboard reports: "'An NCA and GCHQ co-located Joint Operations Cell (JOC) opens officially today,' an NCA press release published Friday reads. 'The unit brings together officers from the two agencies to focus initially on tackling online child sexual exploitation.' This unit has been in the works for some time. Back at the end of 2014, UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced the plan for its formation at We Protect Children Online Global Summit. At the time, he said that 'The so-called "dark-net" is increasingly used by paedophiles to view sickening images. I want them to hear loud and clear: we are shining a light on the web's darkest corners; if you are thinking of offending, there will be nowhere for you to hide.' At the summit, it was said that GCHQ's technical skills would be its contribution to the unit. But the JOC won't just focus on child pornography cases. GCHQ Director Robert Hannigan said in the recent release that, on top of child exploitation, 'The Joint Operations Cell will increase our ability to identify and stop serious criminals."
They love all this CSI Cyber shit because paedophiles are the biggest boogeymen after terrorists. Maybe even before terrorists. It also makes for great headlines about how 5 million illegal images were found on some idiots computer, which seems like it was a massive bust but actually just one guy downloading dodgy torrents in isolation from his flat in Newcastle.
Easy glory for the police, which diverts attention away from their numerous fuck-ups and persecution of people they don't like, and helps them justify even greater powers in the future.
Also, as you say, they get some cool new hardware that can be turned on anyone that bothers them when necessary.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC