back to article Sod the law! We'll crack on with our metadata witchhunts, growl cops

Two police forces used lawful surveillance powers to spy on journalists' confidential sources without getting a judge's approval, according to the Interception of Communications Commissioner's Office (IOCCO) latest report. The 52 page report (PDF) reveals the negligible effect of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Like the Police take ANY notice of the law....

    ....seriously can we send some chief constables to jail for a month or two for this sort of thing.

    How is the DNA retention going? Still breaking the law on that?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Like the Police take ANY notice of the law....

      Well at least we can rest secure in the knowledge that all of our personal data that they hoover up will be treated with the utmost respect and stored on secure systems, I mean it's not like they're going to store it on ageing, unsupported infrastructure... what's that you say? Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP? Hmm...

  2. fruitoftheloon
    WTF?

    He's been a very naughty boy

    Because the fekker GOT CAUGHT!!!

    As to the plebs dropping a piece of orange peel, driving 1mph over the limit, having the temerity to challenge a copper's knowledge of the law, having your dna recorded because the copper in question didn't have enough arrests for the week.

    YOU'RE NICKED SONNY...

    The 'penalty' for the law-breakers in question will no doubt be something along the lines of: cessation of biscuit rations and a slap on the back all round...

    /rant

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    And we're to trust them with facial recognition tech?

    In light of the recent article on Leicestershire Constabulary using facial recognition tech at the Download festival I'd certainly like to see someone senior being held to account for such abuses.

    Couple a police force with a flagrant disregard for privacy and a disdainful attitude to the public they are supposed to serve with a government (any party) who've a penchant for creating nebulous, ill-defined laws (especially laws targeting abstract concepts) and we'll all be potentially guilty of thought crime.

    1. dogged

      Re: And we're to trust them with facial recognition tech?

      > Couple a police force with a flagrant disregard for privacy and a disdainful attitude to the public they are supposed to serve with a government (any party) who've a penchant for creating nebulous, ill-defined laws (especially laws targeting abstract concepts) and we'll all be potentially guilty of thought crime.

      I'm interested - why have you used the future tense instead of the present?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: And we're to trust them with facial recognition tech?

        LOL my bad, forgot we're already living in the brave new world. Note to self: go to local cop shop and hand self in for psych-profiling just in case

        1. e^iπ+1=0

          Re: And we're to trust them with facial recognition tech?

          "Re: And we're to trust them with facial recognition tech?

          LOL my bad, forgot we're already living in the brave new world. Note to self: go to local cop shop and hand self in for psych-profiling just in case"

          Maybe the ideal situation would be:

          Record DNA at birth (together with any available parent)

          Scan fingerprints regularly.

          Scan retina regularly.

          Regular mugshots.

          CCTV wherever possible.

          In the future we can hope to perfect gait analysis.

          ...?

  4. Someone Else Silver badge
    Coat

    In other news...

    Big light in sky slated to appear in East.1

    This is the police we're talking about here...what did you expect?

    (Whazzat? You expected the police to follow the same laws they expect us to follow? Shirley, you jest! What planet are you from, anyway?)

    1 Ob Firesign Theater reference...

  5. G.Y.

    And they call themselves _LAW_ enforcement?

    1. Graham Marsden
      Alert

      Unfortunately, these days they seem to think that they should not only enforce the law, but decide what it is and whether it should apply to them too or not :-(

      1. GrumpyOldBloke

        That is because everything the police do is legal - in time. A little preemption can't hurt.

      2. JohnMurray

        Or indeed whether they should, or will, obey laws anyway....after all, all that happens with many is when caught, they get to take retirement on health grounds.

  6. Adam 1

    Isn't evidence gathered outside the law inadmissable? Surely that u is the whole point of a warrant, to fairly evaluate whether the particular action which would in other situations be illegal should be deemed lawful as an exceptional circumstance, the judgement by someone independent and competent.

    1. Graham Marsden
      Unhappy

      > Isn't evidence gathered outside the law inadmissable?

      Not here in England. We have no Fourth Amendment, no "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" principle, in fact, there are very few principles at all where this sort of things is concerned...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It's not about evidence but rather inference

      Having multi-dimensional, complex datasets could allow for all sorts of intrusive mining into our lives.

      1. ISP

        Re: It's not about evidence but rather inference

        "Having multi-dimensional, complex datasets could allow for all sorts of intrusive mining into our lives."

        Yeah, they should leave that to Facebook!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: It's not about evidence but rather inference

          At least Facebook won't break your door down first thing in the morning and drag you off to their office for questioning (yet)

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