Practical crypto locking laptops: a legal conundrum

[Roland Perry]

In message <009d01c1c0b3$d4442800$01c8a8c0@davespc>, Dave Howe 
<DHowe@Hawkswing.demon.co.uk> writes
>> >Indeed true - but not against those running the website.
>> But against the owner of the database, who might not release it
>> in the face of such liability.
>Not sure that is true - if a database owner were automagically liable
>for the content of the database, a *lot* of credit reference agencies
>would no longer exist.

As that's their core business, I expect they concentrate hard on the 
legalities - not something I'd expect the local Chief Constable to want 
to get embroiled in. (Which leads onto there being 43 databases, of 
course).

>> Then there's the question of DPA.
>I wouldn't have thought so - not unless a bike registration and legal
>status is Personally Identifying Info.

I'd have thought registration numbers were personal data, especially for 
the police who have access to the database which identifies a person 
from the numberplate.
-- 
Roland Perry