THE BIG CON

Here in the UK, we now learn from several sources that from next year, 2009, people wishing to purchase a mobile 'phone will have to produce identity in the form of a passport or driving-licence. Apparently, this latest big-brother development is being put in place to combat "crime" and "terrorist" activity. The truth is, this is a lot of piffle and is directed at the ignorant and the unwary. They've been tapping 'phones for years.
Thorolf has some bad news for crooks and full-time criminals anyway, because for those who don't know, the Government already have sophisticated listening stations in Great Britain, namely GCHQ in Cheltenham and Menwith Hill in Yorkshire, where the super-computers in these facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art, voice-recognition software. Any "terrorist" or criminal wishing to make a private call for any nefarious intent or subterfuge are in for a severe shock. The voice-recognition software immediately hones in and supplies data as to the caller's number and GPS position. The facility at Menwith Hill also monitors and stores every telephone conversation made in Great Britain, from pay-phone and mobile phone to private landlines. It is run exclusively by the Americans and I would advise against taking a closer look at this building. You will be arrested on the spot as certain individuals have found to their cost. There is also a special telecommunications centre in Shropshire devoted entirely to the decryption of mobile 'phone transmissions. As an aside, the A5 encryption algorithm used in the digital phone system is one of the most closely guarded secrets in Europe. It would take a thousand computers working in unison at least two years to break the cipher.
The supply of identity in order to buy a mobile 'phone simply makes the Government's job a lot easier when trying to keep tabs on millions of individuals. To clarify matters, I don't think it's a question of the 'phone, but that of the SIM card. Furthermore, I would go so far as to suggest that the 'phone system will be changed so as not to allow an alternative SIM to work in any individual 'phone until it is registered. That can be easily accomplished with the referencing of the IMEI number of the original handset when contact is made with the masts. No doubt this technology is already in place because otherwise criminals of any description could merely steal someone else's 'phone. If you don't think that the advisors to the Government haven't already thought about this possibility, then think again. No legislation is ever enacted without the proper safe-guards firmly in place.
An announcement was recently made that the authorities now have carte-blanche to keep a record of our emails under the guise of fighting "terror". This is yet more bullshit and it really makes me livid when the majority of usually sane people accept this lame excuse without so much as a moment's pause for thought. In 1998. MI5 built a special complex in London at a cost of £25,000,000 for the sole purpose of intercepting e-mail communication. This was a full three years before 911 in New York and long before the war on "terror" actually surfaced. There is an agenda here and it is staring everybody in the face. To the skeptics, perhaps we should bulldoze the wood so that you can actually see the bloody trees.