[dundee] Your licence fees at work - BBC acquire 22, 000 node Botnet!

[Arron Finnon]

The whole thing is frankly tasteless and unethical.  They breech 2
parts on the Computer Misuse Act, however they are falling back on the
Public Interest clause within the OFCOM regulator. However Rick's
point about paying crooks is what will catch the beeb out, it quite
clearly states when dealing with criminals;

No payment, promise of payment, or payment in kind, may be made to
convicted or confessed criminals whether directly or indirectly for a
programme contribution by the criminal (or any other person) relating
to his/her crime/s. The only exception is where it is in the public
interest.

However its going to be a grey area, and a number of security
companies turned down the beeb for this one, because many believed
that there wasn't a public interest, the other minor gripe i have
about this, is that if they fall back on public interest many of those
machines used and altered by the beeb where not in the UK, and due to
iplayer DRM they probably not going to get to see the episode.  I did
mention this over at facebook but  must have forgot to send it this
way.  Anyone that wants to see it can visit the beeb iplayer at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00jctj1/Click_14_03_2009/