The Digital Economy Act is a joke, and not a funny one either. We allowed politicians to create this, knowing full well that they don't have a clue about modern technology. These are the same people who have lost a laptop, a flash drive and left documents on a train. In all cases, sensitive information was contained within. These bumbling morons think they have a clue, but those intent on committing piracy or any other form of cyber crime will find a way to do it (VPN hosted on an island where the UK has no jurisdiction, anybody?) And if recent events are anything to go off, the people doing these things are going to get younger and younger.

Ignore why the riots happen, restrict technology so you can control the masses, create harsher law. A typical western government which wonders why the social structure is falling down.

Would love to see the stats on how many of the rioters actually had a BlackBerry. 

Yes, and in the USA, where there is a 'first amendment' in the federal constitution, the concept of 'free speech' is, perhaps, a tad less fuzzy.  However, it provides little protection.  Whether it be the "Alien and Sedition Acts" (passed into law before the USA had a 5th president), or the Patriot Act (many of whose restrictions on free speech are still in force under the democrat Obama), free speech is under assult even in the USA.   To paraphrase a B. Franklin:  'A people who trade temporary security for temporary safety deserve neither.'  I would also suggest that they actually get neither more safety, nor more freedom.  Its the wolf 'protecting / guarding' the chicken coop, all over again. 

I am sure Torchwood will have something to say about this. 

Criminals will always find ways to slip past defenses. I know this for a fact, as a former cop. When you draw a line in the sand, the criminals will go around it, below it, or above it. Only the stupid ones try and go through it.

Take this for example, a made-up case based on real events that was used to hammer this into my head by my superiors;

At a local donut shop, there was a break-in. Money was stolen, crook got away, no prints or witnesses. Case went cold.

The same donut shop invests in security cameras. The same crook comes back with a mask and gloves. Same result. The criminal changed his approach based on the store's new defenses.

Same shop invests in a security guard, and keeps the cameras. Crook comes back with a gun, mask, and gloves, orders the guard to the floor, and robs the place clean. Donut shop goes out of buisness. Again, notice how the crook changed his game.

This example applies to the Internet as well. Donut shop; Website, Cameras; firewall, and whatever else they have up. Security guard; website manager, the guy who looks over the place and makes sure that nothing happens. The Criminal is still the criminal.

Take that, and multiply that by several thousand, at least. Then you get my point; Criminals will go around, below, or over your line in the sand. Beefing up security alone isn't going to do it.

My overall point, in case you didn't get the context of the sand analogy, is that no one can stop crime.

Chuck can.

Lol

I forget when but back in  junior high school it occurred to me while we were studying world economics that all of our laws,economic systems and business practices really came down to trust.

We had to trust that people would comply with laws...we had to trust that businesses would act on socially beneficial economic principles and not ruin a culture and economy for quick profit. We had to trust that officials would use governmental power for our benefit and security.

Before instant access technologies, integrity and altruism were essential for Western culture to succeed.  We have gotten farther and farther from that (and the US is not far behind Britain at all).

Now we rely on laws and enforcement and "catching" people as the primary means of governing our societies.  The problem is that if society doesn't have an internal law and morality resident in its people, no amount of laws will fix that.

George Washington summed it up well:

Business should not ignore the best interests of their nations.  Individuals should not ignore properly purposed laws.   Yet we live in a world where that is the norm.  I can steal your software whenever I want because I simply don't want to pay for it.  I can gut a business and place it's employees out of work to bump profit projections in my quarterly report.  I can buy and sell porn that more often than not employs desperate young women in a legal sex trade and call their degredation and desperation "fun". I can take advantage of a business's generosity by taking and using their items and then returning them for a refund.  I can lie on my insurance claim to get free money. I can let a lobbyist "persuade" me to put their well-being above the people's because "that's how it works"...the list goes on.

I personally think we have a culture now where "my" rights are more important than principle, than integrity, than duty or obligation or fairness.  As my friend would say, "We serve the great "I"."

If people don't choose to be virtuous, then government will levy the fine for such behavior.  If government is not virtuous then society will pay the price.  It all starts and ends with the individual.

Governments will always try to gain total control over it's people, and only the people can prevent it.  Why bother learning history when we are doomed to repeat it.  Lets look back at people who had their rights to free speech, to protest, to own weapons, etc taken away from them.  When you give up such rights for the idea of safety, you will get it in the short run, but that safety is a cage.  I'm a bit of a bleeding heart liberal at my core, I get teased a lot, but there are certain truths that have repeated in history.  Remove a peoples ability to fight back, remove a peoples ability to disagree, and in the worst cases, remove a person's humanity.  Those are the tried and true steps toward tyranny.  Ask the Jews, Armenians, African Americans, or those under a communist or religious regime.  In the past, one right after another is taken, until finally the people have little or no ability to fight with either words or weapons and become at the mercy of their tormentors.  

Takes a lot to bring out the crazy conspiracy nut in me, but this did it...

What we need to do is get every techified country to band together and create a true artificial intelligence to battle this kind of threat. Hehe, I always try to trick humans into creating skynet. I just can't help myself. 

History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

I don't even know why people even want freedom. Every time someone gets it they end up looking for someone else to give them what they need and are willing to give up some of that freedom to get what they need in essence showing they never really wanted freedom.

Here in the US we have all these protest going on about things people have been told about for decades and now all of a sudden they decide its time to protest. Of course the Gov't tries to maintain the Status Quo by confusing these protesters and making it seem as if they are in favor while at the same time passing laws that actually take away even more freedoms. It's funny how hardly a single politician has come out condemning the pepper spraying incident (including Obama). Now they are trying to pass these laws in the attempt to stop online criminals from sharing illegal stuff online and at the same time putting yet another nail in the coffin of freedom of speech as it also gives them the power to punish people for the freedoms we supposedly have.

But, in 2012, these same politicians will be voted in again, Obama will probably have another 4 years of presidency because the average person here is so stupid they can't even see that Obama himself is just as bad as any other politician before him. But, all they see is a man who is cut off by Republicans at every turn.

Obama isn't a good or bad president in my eyes, he's an ineffectual one.  Who really gives a shit what he stands for, could be world peace, could be tyranny, but why care when he can't find a way to accomplish anything?  My big disappointment in our next election is lack of choice.  True, I was fooled by Obama, and watched a politician I use to really like in McCain change who he was to run one of the worst campaigns I have ever seen.  And the crop of Republican candidates for the election are like some kind of sick parody.  

Ron Paul.

I don't like Libertarians.  Sorry, they seem a bit crazy/illogical to me.  Although they seem far less Jesusy/racist/homophobes than many Republicans, I think I still would prefer something different.  Oh, and don't get me started on those spineless Democrats.   

Try not to get too offended from the above statements, I hate all the political parties and groups I know of, so don't feel bad if I left you out, I'm sure I hate you too.

Ron Paul is still the best option at the moment. He might not be your ideological favorite, but at least he would fight to change the status quo. Any opponent that faces him would have to prove that he or she isn't just another tool. I wish he would run for Governor of Washington. 

Would be nice to have a non tool in office...