Welcome To Big Brother

Instead of merely sleepwalking into a surveillance society, it seems we've already started sprinting towards it instead.

Today's Register is reporting that over 250,000 wiretaps had taken place in the UK over a nine month period (April to December 2006). Let's look at those figures again: 250,000 wiretaps. In 9 months.

Which is frankly a disgrace. Nearly 0.5% of the ENTIRE UK's population has, at some time had their communications intercepted. Over the course of just a nine month period.

But the chap who oversees all this, Interception of Communications Commissioner Sir Paul Kennedy, said he saw no reason to change the current law, and indeed had only met one person while doing his job who has a different opinion.

Really? You ought to get out more mate.

Sir Paul Kennedy, it should be understood is a political appointee who is in that position under Blair's auspices and the oft-mentioned RIPA.

And as such, the fact that he was impressed by the "striking successes" helped by interception should be taken with the usual pile of salt.

I am stunned by this revelation. I'm even more stunned that none of the mainstream news outlets haven't actually picked up on it.