name='stuartpb' said:I think they are trying to catch more than just terrorists though. That's the top end of the scale, but it filters right down to petty criminals. It's basically another form of evidence for a prosecution. I would have no problems with the database itself and the idea behind it, but how the database could be misused quite easily by the government is what worries me. What also worries me is the fact that the government haven't exactly inspired us with data security.
name='Rastalovich' said:Now, do we think that if I were to send a terroristic message, that I wouldn`t encode the thing first ? Encode it with something that`d take Sony more than 2 years to decode.
name='!TIMMY!' said:government security is as much use as a chocolate teapot.
name='stuartpb' said:Yes but it will catch the criminals who are too dumb or too arrogant to encrypt or hide their tracks. Take paedophiles for example, it would be easier to convict them with information like this, I should imagine. The data could be used in murder cases, drugs cases etc etc as another form of evidence against the accused.
name='stuartpb' said:I don't agree with the database because of the protential drawbacks and flaws, but in principal, it should be worth having. It's a pity our government can't be trusted to get it right though. Look at the DHSS and NHS IT infrastructure fiascos and that should be enough for the government to leave well alone!
name='Rastalovich' said:See u`ve jumped on the govt thing, mostly from previous "news" reports I`d imagine.
Let`s not forget the IT contractors and contracting firms out there who actually do the work. U don`t elect them and they`re not fashionable to blame.
name='stuartpb' said:We blame the government, not because it's easy..
name='stuartpb' said:We blame the government, not because it's easy, but because they have a job to do. If they get it wrong, for whatever reason, then the buck stops with them. Every time they do get it wrong, they always have an excuse, and blaming the back room boys doesn't cut the mustard.
name='stuartpb' said:You mentioned the recent wars, and the dodgy intelligence the government received, well I think that they knew the real situation and it was easier to lie and blame others than admit the real truth. They knew that there was no real justification for the wars, but they had to be seen to be doing the right thing!
name='stuartpb' said:As for how the country is run, and you saying that it's the civil servants fault when things go wrong, and it's easy to blame the government, here's how I see it:
I sell you a PC, it turns out that the hard drive is fooked. You come to me to repair it. I say to you that it isn't my fault because the hard drive is from a third party. Would I be right in doing this? Nope, and the same applies with the government, it doesn't matter who's fault it is, the buck stops with them, and rightly so.
It's about time we got over the buck passing in our government, and voted in some people who are prepared to take it on the chin when they fook up. As for Gordon Brown, well he's as useless as a piece of second hand bog roll.