BT 2006 trials of Phorm - and so?

[John Brazier]

Brian stated:

>> Until the human race decides it needs to raise the rights of the
individual back to where they belong I don't see this changing.

True, but unfortunately sometimes the individual can do nothing. After all,
scientists can monitor all your phone comms with apparent impunity, "because
they can". Look at this idiocy:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24969880/

I especially liked these quotes:

"Researchers secretly tracked the locations of 100,000 people outside the
United States through their cell phone use and concluded that most people
rarely stray more than a few miles from home."

"That type of nonconsensual tracking would be illegal in the United States,
according to Rob Kenny, a spokesman for the Federal Communications
Commission." So they just export illegality.

"The scientists would not say where the study was done, only describing the
location as an industrialized nation." So they want privacy, alas denied
their subjects.

"Barabasi said he did not check with any ethics panel. Hidalgo said they
were not required to do so because the experiment involved physics, not
biology." Yum.

"This is a new step for science," said study co-author Albert-Lazlo
Barabasi, director of Northeastern's Center for Complex Network Research.
"For the first time we have a chance to really objectively follow certain
aspects of human behavior."

So there you go: you don't need a local council to misuse RIPA, a bunch of
USA academics can do it anyway.

ATB

John B