[Chester LUG] Fwd: [lugmaster] [S0107981 at Cumbria.ac.uk: [admin] [Feedback] Press Release - Prostesters to Picket Shareholders at BT PLC AGM]

[David Holden]

On Saturday 31 May 2008, Michael Crilly wrote:
> I have strange feelings towards this Phorm thing. I don't mind being
> "spied" on, if you can call it that, because I have nothing to hide; just
> as I don't mind CCTV, biometric ID cards, DNA tests and databases - I don't
> break the law and I don't have a criminal record it is therefore only in
> place to assist me, not hinder me.

There are two obvious problems with the "nothing to hide" argument.

Firstly if you have nothing to hide ask yourself the question "why do I close 
my curtains in the evening?", presumably you aren't doing anything illegal in 
the evening.

Secondly it assumes that these methods of surveillance function without error. 
You may not mind having your biometrics on a national database however if 
that database through error of function, design or both matches your record 
against particular criminal activity, disruption to you life will be more 
than minimal.

Given that government IT projects currently have a 70 percent(!!!) failure 
rate the second of these problems is not unlikely.

Combine this with legislation that will allow you to be held without charge 
for 28 (42) days and mass surveillance seems to be a little less benign.


Also beware arguments along the lines that powers introduced to allow 
pervasive surveillance will only be used in serious cases recently Poole 
council used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to draw up a 
list of a mother's movements showing the times and exact routes of school 
runs with her children. These included detailed notes such as "female and 
three children enter target vehicle and drive off" and "curtains open and all 
lights on in premises". The mother said her daughter was having trouble 
sleeping because she feared "a man outside watching us". You may ask why were 
they using an act designed for serious crime or terrorism, the family had 
recently sold their house but were still living in it to qualify for the 
local school..



  Dave.








>
> However, the thing that does boil my blood about Phorm is purely the fact
> they're breaking the law. I hate, with a passion, big companies thinking
> they can just do as they please and are above the law - i.e. MS.
>
> That's my two-cents on the matter :P
>



-- 
Dr. David Holden.

See: <http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html>
regarding Word or PowerPoint. GPG key available on request.
-------------------------------------------------------------