RIP article

[Ian Batten]

On 22 Jul 2009, at 17:24, David Hansen wrote:

> . You want to bug someone?
> Have a good, specific, reason - and get a warrant."

But unless you stretch the meaning of bug to breaking point, that is  
the case already.  Intrusive surveillance (bugging a house or office)  
and `bugging a phone' (recovering content) both require a reason and a  
warrant.  You can, and probably will, argue that those warrants are  
easier to obtain than they should be, and if so that's a problem, but  
not a problem generated by the legislation per se.   I don't know what  
the legal status of exotic surveillance techniques like reflecting  
lasers off windows in order to get hold of conversations in the room  
is (intrusive, because it monitors a house, non-intrusive, because it  
doesn't require physical access, moot because the equipment is the  
stuff of Tom Clancey novels?) but if someone can present any evidence  
that that's happening it would be useful.

ian