United Kingdom: Passports will be needed to buy mobile phones

[lordpake]

Source: Times Online (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4969312.ece)

-{ Quote: "Everyone who buys a mobile telephone will be forced to register their identity on a national database under government plans to extend massively the powers of state surveillance.

Phone buyers would have to present a passport or other official form of identification at the point of purchase. Privacy campaigners fear it marks the latest government move to create a surveillance society.

A compulsory national register for the owners of all 72m mobile phones in Britain would be part of a much bigger database to combat terrorism and crime. Whitehall officials have raised the idea of a register containing the names and addresses of everyone who buys a phone in recent talks with Vodafone and other telephone companies, insiders say. " }-


:doubt: and thus the erosion of civil liberties continues in Europe

[Pinga]

Thanks for posting this. An important issue indeed!

[Meriadoc]

Its not about countering terrorism and crime, I'm sure a criminal will get around this via a number of ways - its about spying on us.

[Carver]

The terrorist will have very little problems with this it is us that have the problems and give out private info that is most likely out there already (all gotten through spying legally,stuff that you wouldn't even tell your best friend).

[stap0510]

-{ Quote: "Source: Times Online (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4969312.ece)




:doubt: and thus the erosion of civil liberties continues in Europe" }-


Luckely, buying phones second-hand can always be done anonymously. :D
Jeez, how thick are these legislators?

[ragnarok2012]

Next we'll be sporting the number of the beast, '666', on our foreheads to buy a computer!!!

[ghodgson]

It doesn't surprise me. We are going down a very dangerous road and I agree it has nothing to do with terrorism, it's about surveillance.
The average number of times we are caught on CCTV here in the UK is 300 times a day. Some police cars have number plate recognition cameras so the 'legal status' of the car is automatically checked. If the car does not have insurance/tax/and road test --you get stopped !! Not only that even if you are legal, the software records your position, speed etc and it is kept on a database.
All people who are arrested for any suspected criminal activity has their DNA recorded and even if innocent the DNA stays in the database.
The government is wanting to move away from us paying 'road tax' to keep our cars on the road to a system whereby hardware is installed in the car and the number of miles/journeys we make is monitored by satellite--they say --for payment of road tolls, but they will know where anybody is at anytime of the day.
This is scary stuff.
Gordon

[LockBox]

The United States is right there with you and will soon be trying the same thing. Bank on it. One "patriotic" congressperson is floating the idea of outlawing pre-paid cell phones - unless you register.

[Pedro]

The thing is, i don't think most people see how serious this really is.

[bigc73542]

-{ Quote: "Luckely, buying phones second-hand can always be done anonymously. :D
Jeez, how thick are these legislators?" }-


Maybe not as thick as you think. They could require you to register before you can activate the phone. There are a number of ways to handle used phone sales and activation.

[lordpake]

-{ Quote: "The thing is, i don't think most people see how serious this really is." }-
And I'm afraid you are correct.

Following quote, “A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither”, by Thomas Jefferson, sounds awfully true. I guess most Westerners need to lose something in order to realize its value.

[bigc73542]

Trust me, Most of us "westerners" realize what we have and are not going to give it away blindly.

[stap0510]

-{ Quote: "Trust me, Most of us "westerners" realize what we have and are not going to give it away blindly." }-

Are not going to give it away blindly?
They are already giving it away blindly!
There's has been nothing undertaken to stop this development.
Only if you exclude some innocent demonstrations couple of weeks ago in Europe.

This civil rights-awareness isn't so big in Europe, where people trust the government.
That's why it leans more to the left, with more left-wing/socialist/politically correct administrations and parlements.

Bottomline:
When peoples belly's are full on a daily basis, there is no incentive what so ever for people to go out and defy the powers that be.