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When I was in the UK last year for a client, I ran into an American in a hotel lobby while I was waiting for a meeting to start. He was rolling his own cigarettes (as he found the manufactured product prohibitively expensive) and muttering about how the UK was a police state. I didn't pay too much attention to what he said at the time, but two items to surface today make it pretty clear that the UK is well on its way toward the gloomy picture painted by George Orwell, and only a quarter of a century too late.
The first item has to do with the police in Britain wanting to collect DNA samples from children as young as five who 'exhibit behavior indicating they may become criminals in later life'. Of course, it's only logical to suppose that the official response to any wailing about how unfair it is to target kids exhibiting such behavior would be either to make sure the criteria are as general as possible or, much simpler, to collect samples from everyone.
On a related front, the Oyster public transport RFID card is used by about 17 million Britons, and security services can demand the usage records for specific individuals being investigated. However, The Powers That Be would now like to be able to mine (or trawl, which sounds more apt) the entire database so as to be able to make "connections" among an ever-wider set of data about individuals.
On a seemingly unrelated front not having anything to do with the UK, the city of Dallas, Texas is on the verge of cancelling the rollout of additional red light cameras and even shutting down existing cameras because the cams have severely curtailed light-running infractions and hence, the revenue from associated fines. No money from law-breakers means no money for upkeep and certainly no money for the city coffers. So it seems unless such cameras generate revenue, they aren't of much interest to government... isn't that comforting?
How does that relate to the other two items? Well, consider this: As long as budgets for government programs depend on there being crime, crime must be vigorously uncovered, or better, prevented, else the promotions will stop coming and budgets will be cut. It's this circumstance that knocks the legs out from under the idea of "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear," because the only thing more dangerous than getting between a she-bear and her cub is to get between a bureaucrat and his budget.
Cheers...
The first item has to do with the police in Britain wanting to collect DNA samples from children as young as five who 'exhibit behavior indicating they may become criminals in later life'. Of course, it's only logical to suppose that the official response to any wailing about how unfair it is to target kids exhibiting such behavior would be either to make sure the criteria are as general as possible or, much simpler, to collect samples from everyone.
On a related front, the Oyster public transport RFID card is used by about 17 million Britons, and security services can demand the usage records for specific individuals being investigated. However, The Powers That Be would now like to be able to mine (or trawl, which sounds more apt) the entire database so as to be able to make "connections" among an ever-wider set of data about individuals.
On a seemingly unrelated front not having anything to do with the UK, the city of Dallas, Texas is on the verge of cancelling the rollout of additional red light cameras and even shutting down existing cameras because the cams have severely curtailed light-running infractions and hence, the revenue from associated fines. No money from law-breakers means no money for upkeep and certainly no money for the city coffers. So it seems unless such cameras generate revenue, they aren't of much interest to government... isn't that comforting?
How does that relate to the other two items? Well, consider this: As long as budgets for government programs depend on there being crime, crime must be vigorously uncovered, or better, prevented, else the promotions will stop coming and budgets will be cut. It's this circumstance that knocks the legs out from under the idea of "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear," because the only thing more dangerous than getting between a she-bear and her cub is to get between a bureaucrat and his budget.
Cheers...
no subject
Date: 2008-03-17 02:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-17 03:52 am (UTC)On a good note, the traffic police so ubiquitous in let's say, Russia or USA, is practically nowhere to be seen here. As a result, and taking into consideration that every decent Sat Nav these days has a (GPS) camera database -- you basically still can drive as fast as you can on the motorway if it's not too busy. (100 mph isn't fast at all).
I just can't wait till demise of Labour Party and good old Tories come to power. (Hmm, wait, I first need to get that Citizenship for me & my missus, and then bring in the Tories, please :))
no subject
Date: 2008-03-17 08:32 pm (UTC)Likewise, it is legal here to wear a mask, burqua or what have you. I should know, I spent most of Saturday either in the street or riding the tube wearing a mask. :)