

UK open wifi ban proposed - Roridge
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1594048/uk-kill-internet-cafes

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axod
Link bait misleading headline. Flagged.

>> "THE GLORIOUS BRITISH GOVERNMENT, upon which the sun finally set almost 100
years ago, has decided that having open WiFi networks is bad for the general
population and it wants them all shut off."

No. One unelected lord Mandleson who was kicked out of the commons twice and
then made a lord by his cronies, otherwise known as Darth Vader, is trying to
get his poorly thought out bill through. He doesn't represent the government,
and he _certainly_ doesn't represent the UK.

This is a mainly crazy _proposed_ bill that is pretty moot. Despite it being
completely crazy, there's likely going to be an election very soon.

[http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2009-10/digitaleconomy/s...](http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2009-10/digitaleconomy/stages.html)

It's not even through the house of lords yet, let alone house of commons.

This sort of tripe anti-uk article has no place anywhere, let alone HN.

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nazgulnarsil
do you know why this sort of article is easily believable?

~~~
axod
Because some people believe everything they read on Reddit?

For example the tripe about the UK being overrun with CCTV cameras that are
centrally monitored by the government.

As more and more people get their news from the internet, and don't bother
fact checking, this will only increase. Rumor will rule. Knee jerk will be
standard. Sad really how mob rule works.

~~~
bartl
There are over 10000 cameras in the city of London alone.
([http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23412867-tens-
of-...](http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23412867-tens-of-thousands-
of-cctv-cameras-yet-80-of-crime-unsolved.do))

I'd call that pretty much "overrun", yes.

~~~
axod
Yes, and the vast majority of those are going to some crappy VHS tape, which
tapes over the previous days tape.

They are in place so that if a crime happens, the shop owner can replay the
tape or give it to the police.

Why would I care if individual shop owners want to put CCTV in their shop?

The problem is, that people assume it's some big conspiracy, and all your
movements are tracked by the government. It's all been setup by the government
to spy on people.

The reality however, is that in the 70s,80s, CCTV became so cheap that
individual shop owners could buy them and have them as a little deterrent.

Also "The city of London alone" is fact fudging. _Most_ CCTV is going to be in
the city of London as it's the capital. Elsewhere in the UK usage is going to
be less.

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jrockway
Fortunately you can buy cheap 3G data SIMs with cash in the UK... so I am not
exactly sure what this will prevent.

Why does the government care so much about such a small minority group (movie
studios / bands), anyway? It's sad that nobody wants to pay money for creative
works anymore, but that's an issue with the market, not with people. Stop
making music and movies if it's not profitable anymore.

~~~
beeker
KK has eloquently explained the Internet is a copy machine. Money can/should
be made on the so called 'generative values'.
[http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/01/better_than_f...](http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/01/better_than_fre.php)

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proemeth
Another battle won for copyright lobbies. This bill as no upside for British
society, neither for consumers nor for companies. >libraries and universities
could not be exempted That sentence made me tick, reminiscence of autodafés.

~~~
ErrantX
It's certainly not won. As Axod points out this has barely made it's way past
the proposal stage and I don't think it will actually make it through (due to
the election coming, political climate etc.)

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Tichy
The craziest aspect is that this seems to be done in the name of copyright
protection. At the very least, they should have claimed it is necessary to
fight terrorism. But piracy?

