BBC News: Spy in your pocket

[Richard Clayton]

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In article <14767.37244.852145.248072@aztlan.rrw-net.notld>, Richard
Watts <rrw@semiramis.org.uk> writes

>On Sunday 27 August 2000, Lucky Green
><shamrock@cypherpunks.to> wrote:
>
>>> So why do the phone companies trot this out to explain why they are
>>> developing position finding ??
>>
>>I don't know about the UK, but in many other countries the providers were
>>required by law to install very expensive on-demand citizen-unit tracking
>>capabilities. Naturally, the providers are planning to turn these hundreds
>>of millions of dollars in sunk costs into a profit center.
>
> Ostensibly what were these laws attempting to do ? (I ask because 
>terms like `A bill to allow indiscrimate surveillance of innocent
>civillians' appear to be a recent innovation).

The law-makers usually use the reason that it will make the emergency
services more efficient. The US cited trying to locate a lady stuck in a
snowdrift in their publicity for their scheme - and emergency services
are specifically mentioned in the EU material.

Of course, one does not need to get exact locations for snowdrifts, so
some of the arguments are a little unsound when you look closely at
them...

.. However, AIUI, there are serious practical problems when a motor-
vehicle accident occurs... there will be a number of calls from the
public on mobiles. These will, typically, give a number of different
locations to attend...

A concensus will rapidly form as to where the accident actually is --
leaving only the (rather important) problem of ensuring that a second
accident has not been missed through the natural assumption that Dr
Occam is already attending.

- -- 
richard                       writing to inform and not as company policy
     fewer than 10 MPs still need adopting:  http://www.stand.org.uk/
"Assembly of Japanese bicycle require great peace of mind" quoted in ZAMM

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