Loss of Privacy

The House of Lords has published a report detailing the fact that the pervasiveness of CCTV is undermining the fundamental right to privacy.

The report, Surveillance: Citizens and the State, by the Lords’ constitution committee, says Britain leads the world in the use of CCTV, with an estimated 4m cameras, and in building a national DNA database, with more than 7% of the population already logged compared with 0.5% in the America.

The peers say privacy is an “essential prerequisite to the exercise of individual freedom” and the growing use of surveillance and data collection needs to be regulated by executive and legislative restraint at all times.

Finally, the aristocracy that is left in Britain are starting to speak up.  When they realize what is happening, it’s time for the rest of the British public to do so also.  Those who were already aware of the increasing limits on privacy should not be called kooks and conspiracy nuts.  This is real.  And it needs to be dealt with.

The Home Office is now trialing a new technology that would allow police to stop stolen vehicles with text messages.

Should it be deemed successful, police would have the power to stop cars remotely, providing an alternative to the use of more crude vehicle-capturing techniques such as stingers, and reducing the need for high speed car chases.

This trial forms just part of the Home Office’s effort to reduce the number of civilian and police deaths resulting from high speed pursuits; they have also appealed to a number of independent companies for suggestions as to other ‘vehicle stopping’ technologies that could be implemented on a wide scale basis.

While the motive may be of good intentions, this technology will only work until someone hacks the system and it can be taken over by criminals. There are several problems with this system that the police, and the UK government, haven’t even thought of yet.

First, a terrorist strike would be easy. Stop all the cars on one particular motorway. Blow up the area with a bomb. Since all cars are now stopped, rescue vehicles won’t be able to save the injured.

Second, with the technology hacked, carjackers can stop the car of their choice. If the system has been hacked, it will be easy to turn it one and off, thus allowing carjackers to flee with their shiny, new vehicles.

Third, if you don’t want the police to have this sort of control over you, then you can purchase one of these and one of these for less than $65 total.

Fourth, what happens when the police text the wrong car and cause an accident?

Since car immobilizers already exist and are in use, what is the point of this device other than to create new crimes for the criminals?

From now on, no journalist or ordinary citizen can request Freedom of Information access to an MPs’ expenses.  It appears that, somehow, they are top secret and we can’t see an itemized list anymore.

The decision was announced in a parliamentary order today published at the same time as the government announced controversial decisions on the third runway at Heathrow and compensation for millions of Equitable Life policyholders.

It comes just as MPs were about to be forced, following a victory by campaigners at an information tribunal, to publish 1.2m expenses receipts, covering the period between 2005 and 2008.

I guess the government can’t take its own advice on the “if you’ve got nothing to hide” argument they are always throwing back at British citizens.  Do as I say, not as I do.

It’s no secret that there is a huge gap between organ donators and those who need organs.  Many people want to donate their organs, they simple never get around to actually filling out the paperwork do to it, thus the reason the UK is now contemplating a scheme that would assume organ donation unless an individual specifically states they do not wish to do so.

Naturally, in other countries where organ donation is presumed, their donations are higher.

While I normally hate opt-out programs, the fact that most people want to donate but are too lazy to get around to filling out the paperwork, this seems to be a good idea.