And this is a good idea *why*?

[skroo]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11...ment_database/

I remember years ago when the first licence-plate recognition systems were installed at the airports to 'prevent terrorism'. It was sworn blind by various persons relevant to law enforcement that this system would never be used to track movements. Well, it looks like they outright lied.

Why the fuck are people just putting up with this? Seriously, this should have never happened. Has everyone really just become this apathetic, or is having a government more intrusive than anything ever seen in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War just the best thing ever?

[TheCotMan]

And this is a good idea, why?

It will stimulate the economy by increasing sales of stolen license plates? Did I get the right answer?

I wonder if LCD License plates are illegal over there. That would be amusing. Put a waterproof LCD on the front and back of a car, with a display of your present License plate number. Then, at any time, you can break the law by selecting another image of a different license plate. Add a camera, and you can find other cars of the same make, model and color to clone their license plates.

[bascule]

Freedom and privacy are often detremental to the efficacy with which law can be enforced.

[Thorn]

Would you expect any less of a country that imposes a yearly tax on ownership of TV sets and enforces it with door-to-door inspections?

[valkyrie]

Cotman, you possess delightfully evil thoughts. :-)

Hey! Does this cover my bicycle?

[Clp727]

It probably won't be long until we see this in America. (Pure speculation.)

[astcell]

There is a website that shows the location of many of the street cameras in London, and if you want to go from point A to point B without a camera spotting you then they have recommended routes based on the addresses you input.

Wow I bet the terrorists would just go away if it wasn't for that site. :P

[TheCotMan]

There is a website that shows the location of many of the street cameras in London, and if you want to go from point A to point B without a camera spotting you then they have recommended routes based on the addresses you input.

Wow I bet the terrorists would just go away if it wasn't for that site. :P

It seems private businesses as well as government have been using high-profile "dummy" cameras in conjunction with low profile "real" cameras. It has worked to save money in some places where people try to destroy a dummy camera.

[allentrace]

Why the fuck are people just putting up with this? Seriously, this should have never happened. Has everyone really just become this apathetic, or is having a government more intrusive than anything ever seen in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War just the best thing ever?

"Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie, but rather mourn the apathetic, throng the coward and the meek who see the world's great anguish and its wrong, and dare not speak." - Ralph Chaplin

[alklloyd]

Would you expect any less of a country that imposes a yearly tax on ownership of TV sets and enforces it with door-to-door inspections?

Heh, Thorn. You reminded me of "The Young Ones" which is how I found out about that.

Al

[Thorn]

Heh, Thorn. You reminded me of "The Young Ones" which is how I found out about that.

Al

I haven't seen "The Young Ones" in years, and forgotten about that. It was a funny show.

My brother lives in the UK. He told me about this recently. What I think is really appalling, is that if you deny owning a TV set, the tax authorities will use a TEMPEST-like setup to monitor for certain frequency signatures. That way they can prove or disprove that you have a TV on the premises.

[skroo]

My brother lives in the UK. He told me about this recently. What I think is really appalling, is that if you deny owning a TV set, the tax authorities will use a TEMPEST-like setup to monitor for certain frequency signatures. That way they can prove or disprove that you have a TV on the premises.

They've been doing this for years. Basically, they pick a neighbourhood with either a) a high lapse rate on licence renewals, or b) one with way-lower-than-average levels of licensing and head out with a van with the detector in it. If you're dumb enough to let them in, they issue a fine plus a demand to have the licence renewed once they spot an operational set.

In all fairness, though, I don't think people quite understand *why* TV licencing is in effect. It's not a licence required for ownership of a TV (you can own one and never pay the licence fee as long as you never turn it on); it's designed to subsidise the BBC's stations (including some radio) which are not supported by commercial advertising. Government-owned, viewer-supported. Kind of like PBS, only nationalised. Some more info is available here regarding the types of devices that are meant to be licensed and the attendant fees; how the fees are spent can be found here.

What sucks is that in Ireland we're use a similar scheme, but RTE (the government-owned stations your taxes and licence fees already subsidise) show commercials. Kinda prefer the BBC's model, honestly.

[bascule]

Heh, Thorn. You reminded me of "The Young Ones" which is how I found out about that.

Young Ones kicks ass

[Thorn]

They've been doing this for years. Basically, they pick a neighbourhood with either a) a high lapse rate on licence renewals, or b) one with way-lower-than-average levels of licensing and head out with a van with the detector in it. If you're dumb enough to let them in, they issue a fine plus a demand to have the licence renewed once they spot an operational set.

In all fairness, though, I don't think people quite understand *why* TV licencing is in effect. It's not a licence required for ownership of a TV (you can own one and never pay the licence fee as long as you never turn it on); it's designed to subsidise the BBC's stations (including some radio) which are not supported by commercial advertising. Government-owned, viewer-supported. Kind of like PBS, only nationalised. Some more info is available here regarding the types of devices that are meant to be licensed and the attendant fees; how the fees are spent can be found here.

What sucks is that in Ireland we're use a similar scheme, but RTE (the government-owned stations your taxes and licence fees already subsidise) show commercials. Kinda prefer the BBC's model, honestly.

My brother explained the rational, but I still think it is a terrrible policy. But then again, I hate seeing tax dollars funding NPR and the like, so I'm not exactly objective about such things.

By the way, my brother is in NI; County Antrim to be specific.

[skroo]

My brother explained the rational, but I still think it is a terrrible policy. But then again, I hate seeing tax dollars funding NPR and the like, so I'm not exactly objective about such things.

Understood from the perspective of government control over it, but in terms of paying for a commercial-free service I don't see it as being much different to satellite radio. Then again, I don't really care much about

By the way, my brother is in NI; County Antrim to be specific.

Know it fairly well - used to be in Belfast relatively regularly, and for a while was back and forth between Larne & Stranraer en route to or from parts of Scotland.