U.K. to spend 12 bln pounds to spy on calls and e-mails - pa

[Juan_Bottom]

LONDON, October 5 (RIA Novosti) - The U.K. authorities are considering spending up to 12 billion pounds ($21 billion) on a database to keep information on Internet intercepts, e-mail and telephone records of everyone in Britain, The Sunday Times reported.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20081005/117440293.html

Is it just me or are people more like sheep than ever before?

Hasn't this whole "terrorism" thing gone waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too far?

[Dancing Mustard]

I don't see a problem with organising a database to centrally collate all of the data which the police already keep. Sure it sounds scary, but it's really just the Police streamlining their information handling; that doesn't make us more or less free... it just makes the police a bit more efficient at doing their job (i.e. fighting that crime thing that everybody is always complaining about). It's the pricetag that makes my mind boggle.


I mean, 12Bl for a computer system? Seriously?

[jonesthecurl]

And the money that the government have spent on computer systems in the UK in the last decade or so has not been well-spent - everything has turned out not to work properly, on time, or within budget.

I know this is true of many a system, but the UK government has really raised the bar on paying vast amounts for sod all. I'm sure there's many a Brit (especially with access to Private Eye) who can help me out with examples here.