UK air traffic control goes after Wikileaks The National Aviation and Transport Services (NATS) is threatening legal action against Wikileaks because the website has published a recording of the crashing of BA flight 038, call sign Speedbird 38, which came down just short of the Heathrow runway in 2008. Earlier this month Wikileaks published an audio recording of air …
If this was broadcast on BBC One at prime time the response of the vast majority of viewers would be 'fuck me, they're pretty calm and professional when it suddenly goes to shit in front of them, thank goodness NATS have got calm, solid, dependable guys there when we need them, I feel rather happier about getting in a plane now'. That was certainly my response. I'd put it on the screens at Piccadilly Circus, frankly.
We knew months ago that there was nothing NATS could have done to stop the crash, it was a fault on the aircraft. Give us some credit, eh?
But fully releasing ALL the details is the only way to reassure the public that it's safe.
How would you feel if NATS (owned by BA and BAA) released a report saying that BA and BAA were completely free of blame - but all the details must be kept secret?
This has been a problem with the FAA recently - their job is to set safety stands and perform inspections, but at the same time promote airline travel.
Even the NTSB has been accused of being a little too close to the aircraft industry.
"How would you feel if NATS (owned by BA and BAA) released a report saying that BA and BAA were completely free of blame - but all the details must be kept secret?"
All accident reports are crown copyright under the Health and Safety act.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Air_Traffic_Services
"The current shareholders are: the UK government (49%); The Airline Group (42%) which is a consortium of British Airways, BMI, EasyJet, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomson Airways and Virgin Atlantic; BAA (4%); and NATS employees (5%)."
Not quite the bleak picture you paint but keep that tin foil hat, you might need it for the next government department that requires private funding.
In several cases there have been put forward proposals for a 'black box' recorder to be installed in train cabs, to provide similar crash analysis information. One of the main reasons why this has never happened is that train drivers and other staff are very much opposed to having every thing they say and do during their entire working day recorded.
With ATC and black-box recordings you are bugging people's workplace on the understanding they are to be used ONLY for safety-enhancing investigations, not for general entertainment, witch-hunts and the like, and I think that is what NATS may be trying to uphold (somewhat unfortunate that this stuff is often also sold to the Discover Channel or whatever, but there you go).
ATC chit-chat is as near to public conversation as you can get, but I can well imagine that pilots still won't be happy about it ending up all over youtube. If the same thing starts happening with cockpit recordings, how long before people are regularly disconnecting the recorders so they can have a gossip about the chief stewards sex life without worrying about adverse publicity?
Erm, Google for OTMR. 'Black boxes' are mandatory on all trains on Network Rail lines since Jan '08. They don't record voice (although radio/telephone comms are recorded at the signal box end) but they do record driver actions, several different indicators of speed, engine, braking and safety system states, etc, etc, even down to use of the horn, I believe.
You're right about them being fairly unpopular with drivers though, for fear of witch-hunting.
They post things with no thought for due legal process saying "well it needs to be in the open" and yet want to hide when the law comes looking for them. One day they will screw up a legal case (if they haven't already).
You can't have it both ways. Wikileaks are the worst of the lot for saying "if you have nothing to hide... but don't look at my stuff"
If someone is willing to leak it then it should be down to that person to be punished for it not wikileaks.
Once it's on the internet it's too late anyway, you can never get rid of it. All they end up doing is letting people know (by this site) that you can download the leaked information. Really the best thing they could do is just shut up and hope people forget.
You made the recording, it's yours...
However you don't own the performance rights. The guys on stage actually playing (We hope!) own that, and you certainly don't own the publishing copyright (The Music and Lyrics being performed).
If you didn't distribute or allow anyone else to see your recording then you might be able to get the publishing lawsuit dropped (You didn't actually publish someone elses work), but as for the performance copyright infringement - run if the trained apes with the neon security vests start taking an interest in you...
Making a recording in a a cinema is a little different depending what's on screen and what the audio is, but regardless you STILL own the copyright on your recording, it's just the contents of that recording that are infringing...
I'll get my coat now..
Anon, for obvious reasons
thanks to the web
NATS is a public private partnership ownership is
42% the Airline Group (consortium of British Airways, bmi British Midland, Virgin Atlantic, Thomson Airways, Monarch, easyJet and Thomas Cook Group)
5% NATS staff
4% BAA Limited,
49% and a golden share, the government.
So you ought to be more worried about it saying the government is doing a good job.
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