BBC News - 'Fresh proposals' planned over cyber-monitoring

[Roland Perry]

In article <519D3BB9.3060403 at zen.co.uk>, Peter Fairbrother 
<zenadsl6186 at zen.co.uk> writes
>>> Of course throwaway dongles, unsecured WIFI, free public wifi, TOR,
>>> and so on need no mention here. But I wonder if Her Majesty knows
>>> about them?
>>
>> Her government does. But it's never a good argument that you should give
>> up picking the low-hanging fruit, just because there's some harder to
>> reach fruit elsewhere.
>
>That's true enough, but if they use the end of catching the 
>harder-to-reach fruit in order to justify the means, but those means 
>will not let them reach that fruit ...

Perhaps you are making the mistake of thinking that the worst crimes are 
committed by the cleverest people? April Jones and Tia Sharp might 
disagree (to quote only two recent examples).

>> Did you watch 'Endeavour' (the 'Morse' prequel). I've not seen the whole
>> series yet, but they've done reverse-DQ phone numbers in two of the
>> plots so far.
>
>I don't have a TV.

For Morse there are the books to read. Or use the "catch-up" services on 
the Interweb.

 >I don't want one in the house, I'd just sit and watch it and get 
 >nothing done

The more that things can be viewed later, the less I watch. Getting a 
VCR (in the early 80's) cut my viewing considerably. In the last month 
(and despite having the biggest and best TV ever) all I've managed to 
watch regularly are Endeavour and Dr Who.

>>> I mean. it's not obvious that Plod should have pretty much
>>> unrestricted access to comms data logs anyway.
>>
>> There's two elements to this. One is whether the access is required at
>> all (and checking who a suspect has been in contact with is normally
>> regarded as a legitimate investigative technique),
>
>A legitimate investigative technique, most likely - but that does not 
>mean we must make it possible, especially at any cost.

I think we must make it possible when it's necessary. Cue RIPA debate, 
cont'd p94.
-- 
Roland Perry