Spammers Buffet, anyone?

Like having about a dozen CCTV cameras per head of population wasn’t bad enough (yeah, OK, so I’m exaggerating a bit), the UK Government seems dead set on knowing what email we read, web sites we view, and mobile phone calls we make.

The basis for this intrusion? That the misdeeds of the few outweighs the privacy of the many, apparently. With a dozen terrorists crouching in our midst, knowing what illicit sites Mr Sidnham of Ipswich visits of an evening will make all the difference. Next time a bomb doesn’t go off, remember it’s because the Government know exactly when Mr Sidnham did.

The Government want the right to access almost anything that might allow them to defeat terrorism, taking it out at the root. Existing laws allow the Government some leverage in extracting the information they need, but they want more. They want a database with all that yummy email, web and phone call information on it. Remember, this is the Government that loses laptops and contracts to companies that lose DVDs and hard drives like anyone else might mislay keys or loose change. Would you trust the Government not to accidentally hand this database over to a herbal medication peddler or the loyal retinue of a Nigerian prince?

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