Big Brother Has Finally Arrived.

jambutty · 01-10-2007, 20:41

Taken from the BBC Ceefax news pages:
“Information about all landline and mobile phone calls made in the UK MUST be logged and stored for a year under new laws.

Data about calls made and received will also be available to 652 public bodies, including the police and councils.

The Home Office said the content of the calls and text would not be read and insisted the move was vital to tackle serious crime and terrorism.

But critics said it was another example of Britain’s “surveillance society”.”

Someone please remind me again that we are not sleepwalking, nay galloping, towards becoming a Police State. Because it sure looks like it to me.

SPUGGIE J · 01-10-2007, 20:47

What the hell are the playing at doing this? The cower at human rights when thrust at them yet sneak in something under I no doubt is anti terror laws!! Ok might eventually lead to convictions but only because it holds all and sundry. is this to save the hassle of asking for official sanction of line tapping?

lancsdave · 01-10-2007, 20:58

Another media hyped story. Phone companies have always kept records, all they have done now is put a legal time limit on it.

jambutty · 01-10-2007, 21:00

Well I didn’t vote them in. Not that the other lot would be any different.

Using the same tactic of fighting serious crime and terrorism as an excuse the government wanted photo ID cards for everyone, then sought DNA samples from everyone and now this.

Big Brother is coming and no one is doing anything about it.

SPUGGIE J · 01-10-2007, 21:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Another media hyped story. Phone companies have always kept records, all they have done now is put a legal time limit on it.

Now that I didnt know?

jambutty · 01-10-2007, 21:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Another media hyped story. Phone companies have always kept records, all they have done now is put a legal time limit on it.

Keeping records is one thing and of course we knew that phone companies kept records. But that is a far cry from keeping the actual content of text messages and phone calls.

“The Home Office said the content of the calls and text would not be read and insisted the move was vital to tackle serious crime and terrorism.”
Meaning that they could be read if the desire was there.

Stanaccy · 01-10-2007, 21:31

I am not saying that it can't be done but I find it very hard to fathom the amount of space needed to hold 12 months of all telephone calls made to and from all landlines and mobiles in the UK.

Basic data of to whom and when yes I can accept, the actual calls, very hard to comprehend. Texts maybe.

The 652 bodies will be the local authorities, different police forces and the equivalent govt. agencies.

As Lancsdave said I believe this is hyped to stir up the libertarians.

As no calls have been used in court as evidence, apart from ones where a warrant has been issued to put a wire on, to me this ads further evidence that this is a scaremongering story.

lancsdave · 01-10-2007, 21:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stanaccy

I am not saying that it can't be done but I find it very hard to fathom the amount of space needed to hold 12 months of all telephone calls made to and from all landlines and mobiles in the UK.

Basic data of to whom and when yes I can accept, the actual calls, very hard to comprehend. Texts maybe.

The 652 bodies will be the local authorities, different police forces and the equivalent govt. agencies.

As Lancsdave said I believe this is hyped to stir up the libertarians.

As no calls have been used in court as evidence, apart from ones where a warrant has been issued to put a wire on, to me this ads further evidence that this is a scaremongering story.

When it says details will be kept I'm pretty sure it means date,time, ect. No way could they keep details of content. That would be some storage requirement

cashman · 01-10-2007, 21:44

well if they read some of the filthy jokes i send by text, should either amuse or disgust some of em.

lancsdave · 01-10-2007, 21:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

well if they read some of the filthy jokes i send by text, should either amuse or disgust some of em.

Would be pointless storing my heavy breathing too

katex · 01-10-2007, 21:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

well if they read some of the filthy jokes i send by text, should either amuse or disgust some of em.

Will p.m. you my mobile number .....

jambutty · 01-10-2007, 21:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stanaccy

I am not saying that it can't be done but I find it very hard to fathom the amount of space needed to hold 12 months of all telephone calls made to and from all landlines and mobiles in the UK.

Basic data of to whom and when yes I can accept, the actual calls, very hard to comprehend. Texts maybe.

The 652 bodies will be the local authorities, different police forces and the equivalent govt. agencies.

As Lancsdave said I believe this is hyped to stir up the libertarians.

As no calls have been used in court as evidence, apart from ones where a warrant has been issued to put a wire on, to me this ads further evidence that this is a scaremongering story.

File compression has progressed in leaps and bounds over the years so the vast amounts of space required are not quite as vast. So has the size of digital storage space and the speed of access. The files are getting smaller and the storage has been getting larger. Just look at the hard drives that you can buy these days. 500GB seems to be the norm these days and it is no larger than the old 100MB hard drive.

Take a wav file of a record at around 35MB - that can get compressed down as an MP3 file of about 3MB max. Text files are even easier to compress with even better ratios.

A telephone call is analogue sound just like a record. A text message is just like a saved file in a word processor.

It is only a matter of time before this stored ‘evidence’ will be accepted in a court of law without a warrant being issued.

The government hasn’t just put a legal time limit on it lancsdave, they are legitimising what is already happening before there is a leak or someone blows the whistle.

lancsdave · 01-10-2007, 21:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambutty

The government hasn’t just put a legal time limit on it lancsdave, they are legitimising what is already happening before there is a leak or someone blows the whistle.

Precisely they already have the information they require.As with everything else I have nothing to hide so therefore nothing to fear. In this day and age only Big Brother techniques will fight the morons ruining the world.

harwood red · 01-10-2007, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Precisely they already have the information they require.As with everything else I have nothing to hide so therefore nothing to fear. In this day and age only Big Brother techniques will fight the morons ruining the world.

nail on head Dave

BERNADETTE · 01-10-2007, 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Precisely they already have the information they require.As with everything else I have nothing to hide so therefore nothing to fear. In this day and age only Big Brother techniques will fight the morons ruining the world.

Exactly if it helps to catch one terrorist then carry on with it!!!