UK unveils 'Big Brother' plan: Now they want to snoop on every phone call, email and text message

[rocks 494]

Well its the Daily Mail of course and they love to stoke the fires of outrage. That said - this project does put rather a lot of power in the hands of government, and I doubt it would be immune from the usual privacy gaffes we've seen over the last few years.

i always thought it was weird that you had to be notified of driving near a speed camera - due to privacy... i like my privacy but that is just stupid.

Well I think that was partly due to the way some of them were positioned. We had one in my town that was right on transition line where the speed went from 60mph to 40. Pretty much ensured that everyone got a ticket - even if you had started to slow down.

I always thought all those CCTV cameras were kinda creepy

The US needs them.

A lot of them in North / East DC for a start.

despite the huge volume of cctv cameras in the uk, crime still occurs.

We don't have guns for one thing.

we don't? plenty of people get shot where i am from. ok, it isn't as easy to obtain one as here, but they are there and not that hard to find if you know the right people.

Shooting victim out of hospital

A man who was shot in the groin during an incident at a Bristol nightclub has been discharged from hospital after treatment.

The 21-year-old was injured at the Blue Mountain Club, Stokes Croft, at about 0445 BST on Saturday.

Police sealed off the scene and said they would be examining CCTV footage as part of their investigation.

The club was said to have been busy at the time and witnesses have been urged to come forward.

that was last month

[Heracles 417]

SVRT, what do you have to hide anyway. Why would you be so concerned about a system listening in on your calls. I know I don't have anything t hide so I couldn't care less.

Are you trying to blow SRVT's secret identity? Someday he's going led a rebellion against snake-handling Christian robots who are plotting to run the planet with Skynet cable and hymn singing.

:rofl: :rofl:

You broke his cover and surely must die..

[Heracles 417]

without guns people just find more creative ways to kill each other. like the samurai sword

Which is what happens in Aus.

I still think no body should be allowed to carry a firearm on a public street, unless they are a law enforcement officer.

The police should also have the right to conduct random, on the spot checks, of people for weapons. The gun crimes in DC would drop overnight. But as we know the ALCU would sue and talk about rights being violated so nothing will change in the DC area. And people will go back to crapping on about how the lack of education is the problem, rather than the weakness in proactively enforcing the law.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Aficionado

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well its the Daily Mail of course and they love to stoke the fires of outrage. That said - this project does put rather a lot of power in the hands of government, and I doubt it would be immune from the usual privacy gaffes we've seen over the last few years.

i always thought it was weird that you had to be notified of driving near a speed camera - due to privacy... i like my privacy but that is just stupid.

Well I think that was partly due to the way some of them were positioned. We had one in my town that was right on transition line where the speed went from 60mph to 40. Pretty much ensured that everyone got a ticket - even if you had started to slow down.

I always thought all those CCTV cameras were kinda creepy

The US needs them.

A lot of them in North / East DC for a start.

despite the huge volume of cctv cameras in the uk, crime still occurs.

We don't have guns for one thing.

we don't? plenty of people get shot where i am from. ok, it isn't as easy to obtain one as here, but they are there and not that hard to find if you know the right people.

Shooting victim out of hospital

A man who was shot in the groin during an incident at a Bristol nightclub has been discharged from hospital after treatment.

The 21-year-old was injured at the Blue Mountain Club, Stokes Croft, at about 0445 BST on Saturday.

Police sealed off the scene and said they would be examining CCTV footage as part of their investigation.

The club was said to have been busy at the time and witnesses have been urged to come forward.

that was last month

Well this is true - but its not rampant, the way its been suggested in the news (even with the controversies over gun bans). You're not likely to become a victim of gun crime in the UK unless you move in the right circles. As with the US - most of the people who get shot are involved in organized crime or the drug trade.

[Scott & Lai 12]

I always thought all those CCTV cameras were kinda creepy

The US needs them.

A lot of them in North / East DC for a start.

I still think they're creepy

I think criminals are creepy.

[Heracles 417]

As with the US - most of the people who get shot are involved in organized crime or the drug trade.

Organized crime flourishes in all English (western) nations because they use our own laws and freedoms to their advantage. If they are caught, big IF, they hire high end lawyers to get them off on some technicality.

Actually building on the OP, organized crime is another reason the police should be able to randomly monitor calls. If I know a child's life, or anyone else's life, could be saved by allowing the police to monitor communications I would say go ahead. Like most good people out there, I have nothing to hide.

What people don't realize is that it is very easy for someone to listen in on your calls, if they wanted to. Unfortunately the law enforcement agencies are not able to do it without hours and hours wasted in courts getting warrants for one single line alone. This is not acceptable in the 21st century.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Aficionado

[rocks 494]

Well this is true - but its not rampant, the way its been suggested in the news (even with the controversies over gun bans). You're not likely to become a victim of gun crime in the UK unless you move in the right circles. As with the US - most of the people who get shot are involved in organized crime or the drug trade.

that was just at a random nightclub on the edge of town, i've been there numerous times. it happens a lot at nightclubs for some reason, in bristol at least. granted a lot of it this is gang related from other cities and or including drugs (bristol being a major center for drugs). cctv helps with solving some crimes but it by no means makes crime disappear. i think this leads back to what we have both said before, education is the best remedy.

[Amby 490]

I also lived in Newcastle for awhile...nuff said

[britty 1]

Well its the Daily Mail of course and they love to stoke the fires of outrage. That said - this project does put rather a lot of power in the hands of government, and I doubt it would be immune from the usual privacy gaffes we've seen over the last few years.

i always thought it was weird that you had to be notified of driving near a speed camera - due to privacy... i like my privacy but that is just stupid.

Well I think that was partly due to the way some of them were positioned. We had one in my town that was right on transition line where the speed went from 60mph to 40. Pretty much ensured that everyone got a ticket - even if you had started to slow down.

I always thought all those CCTV cameras were kinda creepy

The US needs them.

A lot of them in North / East DC for a start.

despite the huge volume of cctv cameras in the uk, crime still occurs.

We don't have guns for one thing.

we don't? plenty of people get shot where i am from. ok, it isn't as easy to obtain one as here, but they are there and not that hard to find if you know the right people.

Shooting victim out of hospital

A man who was shot in the groin during an incident at a Bristol nightclub has been discharged from hospital after treatment.

The 21-year-old was injured at the Blue Mountain Club, Stokes Croft, at about 0445 BST on Saturday.

Police sealed off the scene and said they would be examining CCTV footage as part of their investigation.

The club was said to have been busy at the time and witnesses have been urged to come forward.

that was last month

and if the Brits were allowed conceal carry licenses, and were allowed to also protect themselves AND their homes from attack, the crime rate would reduce dramatically. But, the problem in the UK is, if the government allowed its citizens to arm themselves, then reliance flies out the window. Its all about control. That is why I live here in the US where anyone trying to attack me, my family, or my home, is a stupid SoB.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well its the Daily Mail of course and they love to stoke the fires of outrage. That said - this project does put rather a lot of power in the hands of government, and I doubt it would be immune from the usual privacy gaffes we've seen over the last few years.

i always thought it was weird that you had to be notified of driving near a speed camera - due to privacy... i like my privacy but that is just stupid.

Well I think that was partly due to the way some of them were positioned. We had one in my town that was right on transition line where the speed went from 60mph to 40. Pretty much ensured that everyone got a ticket - even if you had started to slow down.

I always thought all those CCTV cameras were kinda creepy

The US needs them.

A lot of them in North / East DC for a start.

despite the huge volume of cctv cameras in the uk, crime still occurs.

We don't have guns for one thing.

we don't? plenty of people get shot where i am from. ok, it isn't as easy to obtain one as here, but they are there and not that hard to find if you know the right people.

Shooting victim out of hospital

A man who was shot in the groin during an incident at a Bristol nightclub has been discharged from hospital after treatment.

The 21-year-old was injured at the Blue Mountain Club, Stokes Croft, at about 0445 BST on Saturday.

Police sealed off the scene and said they would be examining CCTV footage as part of their investigation.

The club was said to have been busy at the time and witnesses have been urged to come forward.

that was last month

and if the Brits were allowed conceal carry licenses, and were allowed to also protect themselves AND their homes from attack, the crime rate would reduce dramatically. But, the problem in the UK is, if the government allowed its citizens to arm themselves, then reliance flies out the window. Its all about control. That is why I live here in the US where anyone trying to attack me, my family, or my home, is a stupid SoB.

I don't think there's any specific evidence to that effect that to be honest. Not that I really disagree - there is some evidence that possession laws can lower crime to an extent, but it often comes at the risk of, for example, an increased number of shooting-related injuries and deaths.

There is, as I've noted before - a British Bill of Rights (ancient and now forgotten) that is more or less equivalent to the US one, and which gave Brits the right to bear arms in similar language to the US Bill of Rights, but the crucial difference is that there was (and is) no domestic gun lobby in the UK for the simple reason that there was, by then, no displaced native population in England to put down/defend against at that time. With so few armed police and those few currently under review, we haven't really needed to defend ourselves against a power grabbing monarch or an authoritarian state.

Personally - I honestly find US deeply confused on issues of gun 'rights' since there seems to be far less argument about free speech issues. Pretty selective defenders of the constitution, in my view.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Paul Daniels

[luckytxn 2,264]

Some may want to check out this agency. It has around way longer than Bush and most people here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency

[luckytxn 2,264]

Any calls placed overseas is subject to being listened to and alos any other communications like emails and messengers. It is not supposed to listen in on domestic calls or communication except in extreme cases but has happened. One way it has been legally is for a agreement we have with the UK that allows us to monitor the citizens of each others country. We have agents from each country that are in each sphere. The UK can listen in on any communications here of any citizen and then report to us and we can do the same there for them. We also have these same agreements with other countries.

One must always assume that we are being monitored anytime online or calling.

[rocks 494]

Well its the Daily Mail of course and they love to stoke the fires of outrage. That said - this project does put rather a lot of power in the hands of government, and I doubt it would be immune from the usual privacy gaffes we've seen over the last few years.

i always thought it was weird that you had to be notified of driving near a speed camera - due to privacy... i like my privacy but that is just stupid.

Well I think that was partly due to the way some of them were positioned. We had one in my town that was right on transition line where the speed went from 60mph to 40. Pretty much ensured that everyone got a ticket - even if you had started to slow down.

I always thought all those CCTV cameras were kinda creepy

The US needs them.

A lot of them in North / East DC for a start.

despite the huge volume of cctv cameras in the uk, crime still occurs.

We don't have guns for one thing.

we don't? plenty of people get shot where i am from. ok, it isn't as easy to obtain one as here, but they are there and not that hard to find if you know the right people.

Shooting victim out of hospital

A man who was shot in the groin during an incident at a Bristol nightclub has been discharged from hospital after treatment.

The 21-year-old was injured at the Blue Mountain Club, Stokes Croft, at about 0445 BST on Saturday.

Police sealed off the scene and said they would be examining CCTV footage as part of their investigation.

The club was said to have been busy at the time and witnesses have been urged to come forward.

that was last month

and if the Brits were allowed conceal carry licenses, and were allowed to also protect themselves AND their homes from attack, the crime rate would reduce dramatically. But, the problem in the UK is, if the government allowed its citizens to arm themselves, then reliance flies out the window. Its all about control. That is why I live here in the US where anyone trying to attack me, my family, or my home, is a stupid SoB.

I don't think there's any specific evidence to that effect that to be honest. Not that I really disagree - there is some evidence that possession laws can lower crime to an extent, but it often comes at the risk of, for example, an increased number of shooting-related injuries and deaths.

There is, as I've noted before - a British Bill of Rights (ancient and now forgotten) that is more or less equivalent to the US one, and which gave Brits the right to bear arms in similar language to the US Bill of Rights, but the crucial difference is that there was (and is) no domestic gun lobby in the UK for the simple reason that there was, by then, no displaced native population in England to put down/defend against at that time. With so few armed police and those few currently under review, we haven't really needed to defend ourselves against a power grabbing monarch or an authoritarian state.

Personally - I honestly find US deeply confused on issues of gun 'rights' since there seems to be far less argument about free speech issues. Pretty selective defenders of the constitution, in my view.

i think the cops here are more of a deterrent than average people with guns. the ones down here are scary as you like and there's lots and lots and lots of them.

no one here thinks about giving a cop grief like people openly do in the uk.

[Stinky Monkey 1]

Great so I suppose this information will go on offical lap tops and discs that get lost or stolen so that even more information about us can get into the wrong hands, well its not the first time.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

It's sh!t like this that reminds me why we left the UK. Can't wait to show the hubster -- it'll start him off on 2-hour rant against the Labour government. Good times.