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posted by n1 on Monday August 08 2016, @05:05AM   Printer-friendly
from the watching-you-watching-them dept.

The BBC is to spy on internet users in their homes by deploying a new generation of Wi-Fi detection vans to identify those illicitly watching its programmes online.

The corporation has been given legal dispensation to use the new technology, which is typically only available to crime-fighting agencies, to enforce the new requirement that people watching BBC programmes via the iPlayer must have a TV licence.

Researchers at University College London disclosed that they had used a laptop running freely available software to identify Skype internet phone calls passing over encrypted Wi-Fi, without needing to crack the network password. They actually don't need to decrypt traffic, because they can already see the packets. They have control over the iPlayer, so they could ensure that it sends packets at a specific size, and match them up.

Source: The Telegraph [paywall]
Also covered by The Register.

n1: The existing TV detector van 'technology' has been in use in the UK since the 1950's, there has never been an explanation as to how they work. I am unaware of any occasions where evidence obtained by one was used to prosecute anyone.

A leaked internal document from the BBC gives a detailed breakdown of the state of licence fee payments and the number of people who evade the charge – but fails to make any mention of the detector vans.

While documenting the number of officers to collect the £145.50 fee increased to 334 this summer, an 18 page memo from the TV Licensing's Executive Management Forum obtained by the Radio Times makes no mention of the vans finding those who don't pay.

Source: The Telegraph (2013)


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  • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Monday August 08 2016, @01:05PM

    by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Monday August 08 2016, @01:05PM (#385274) Journal

    The new regulation, as I understand it, only applies to IPlayer i.e. the device most associated with BBC transmissions. The existing regulations cover any TV broadcast, either originating in the UK or overseas, intended for public reception. Amateur TV transmissions are not covered by existing law if I understand correctly. Catch-up TV can employ a multitude of devices and is not limited to BBC transmissions. The only reporting that I have found is vague on this matter. The link in TFA only states that:

    The corporation has been given legal dispensation to use the new technology, which is typically only available to crime-fighting agencies, to enforce the new requirement that people watching BBC programmes via the iPlayer must have a TV licence.

    So I'm still not sure if the new detection capability is directly linked to the IPlayer (e.g. is the IPlayer phoning home?) or whether they are relying on deep packet inspection to find out what is being viewed.

    Nevertheless, the new law will still be contentious. Should UK residents be required to pay the BBC for programmes that are streamed to their homes by an independent provider, for example Sky? Or, if the above statement is true, and it is only IPlayer that is being licensed, what about those who argue that they do not watch the BBC at all? Are they still free to view catch-up from independent providers? Futhermore, the BBC once argued that it was to help pay for the management of a limited RF spectrum which is not something that applies to internet streaming. I do not own a mobile device (nor do I currently live in the UK) but can catch-up TV be viewed on a tablet? If yes, how will they enforce the licensing requirement for such devices?

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