A dead duck? (Was RIP s22 notices SI)

[Owen Lewis]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> [mailto:ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk]On Behalf Of Andrew Marlow
> Sent: 17 June 2002 16:32
> To: ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> Subject: Re: RE: A dead duck? (Was RIP s22 notices SI)

> ...... All
> too often the public just respond with "I have nothing to hide therefore I
> have nothing to fear".

Beyond a certain point, that line becomes played out.

I have nothing to hide and fear nothing if my local council, stare in
through my bedroom window. However, I would most surely find it very
irritating though and I don't see why they should be given powers to do so.

The analogy is pretty exact, I think, and it is the irritation of the public
that can most certainly prevent the passing of such powers into law. The
fact that something *can* be done does not make it *right* to do it.

Local govt, a bunch of quangos and half-pint govt offices have no business
sifting through our communications. Nor, most particularly, to decide for
themselves when they will do so, how often they will do so and for what ends
they will do so.

In countries such as ours, government is by consent. This government is
about to test the limit beyond which consent cannot be pushed. One hopes
that it is in for a rude awakening.

Owen