BBC News Online: 'Snoop' plans put on hold

[Ian G Batten]

On Wed, 19 Jun 2002, Peter Fairbrother wrote:
> Really? The US does about 1,800 taps per year, with a larger population. I
> don't know about subscriber requests though.

You're assuming that the two classes of access are full-content tapes
and DQ information.  You're forgetting call logs, which are a major
component of both current ``tapping'' and the discussion at hand.
Telephones generate call logging as an inherent part of billing
(although you could argue that PAYG mobiles don't need to) and therefore
the force of darkness are asking for something that probably needs to
exist.  The reasons for email logging, and certainly the retention of
that logging, are flimsier, and the reasons for web cache logging are
almost non-existant.  When they realise that, they'll enforce powers to
mandate logging that ISPs wouldn't otherwise do, and then we are in a
dark place.

> Reverse lookup CD's were available a few years ago for =A320, but BT had =
an
> arguement about who owned the copyright to phone numbers (weird!) and
> stopped it. A taxi firm I use had one, they used it with the then 1471 to
> check if calls were bona-fide.

A Taxi Firm that wouldn't accept bookings from most contract mobiles
and almost all PAYG mobiles would go out of business today.

> They are in directories according to area, and follow the dialling code
> quite closely. A thin one takes only an hour or two to find a number in, a
> thick one like the London one can take an afternoon. I've done it
> sucessfully, several times, though it was a long time ago and in another
> life.

That's true.  But it doesn't work for XD or most mobiles.  The world's
moved on, and in large cities ~50% of fixed lines are XD.

ian