No hiding place for fly tippers

[M J D Brown]

Roland Perry rplied to my earlier observations on Sunday, February 03 
2008 at 3:19 PM:

> In article <002301c86672$12faa460$891a313e@Powerstation>, M J D Brown 
> <mjdb@dorevale.demon.co.uk> writes
>>In his apologia published in the Daily Telegraph on Friday 1st 
>>February
>>Sir Paul Kennedy claims that reports of phones being tapped at the 
>>rate
>>of 1000 each day are misleading and likely to cause unnecessary 
>>concern.
>>He bases that assertion on the narrow legalistic distinction between
>>interception and the collection of data.
>
> Narrow! That just shows how misunderstood this area is.

Not at all.  If we substitute 'eavesdropping' for both 'interception' 
and 'obtaining comms data' the distinction disappears, clearly 
demonstrating that such distinction is merely an artifice of 
legislation.  If you assert that the nature of information covertly 
obtained makes a distinction between invasion of privacy and that which 
the telephone user expects to be disclosed, then please explain why I 
cannot ask for reverse lookup or the location of mobile phones calling 
my home number.  See below for the man on the Clapham omnibus.
>
>>Readers of this list are, of course, entirely familiar with such
>>logic-chopping spin, but I suggest that the proverbial man on the
>>Clapham omnibus will recognise that his private business is being
>>'intercepted' when information provided solely for the purpose of 
>>making
>>and paying for a communications service is obtained by people for whom
>>such information is not intended.  Nor is it legitimate for Kennedy to
>>arrogate unto himself a judgement as to whether people's concern are
>>unnecessary; that judgement belongs solely to the people who are the
>>subjects of official intrusion.
>
> The man on the bus has a general understanding of what may be involved 
> when tapping his phone, and listening to his conversations.
>
> I seriously doubt that they really think that a reverse lookup of 
> their phone number is anything like as intrusive.

Again, a narrow view.  An intelligent man will ask whether he, too, is 
allowed to perform reverse lookup.  On being told that such is only 
permitted to officials he will rightly conclude that reverse lookup is a 
characteristic attribute of eavesdropping.

Mike.

>
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> Roland Perry
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