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posted by cmn32480 on Friday January 15 2016, @01:38PM   Printer-friendly
from the maybe-'cuz-they-can't-justify-it dept.

UK Home Secretary Theresa May was grilled on Wednesday during the last evidence session held by the Parliamentary committee scrutinizing fresh powers proposed for GCHQ.

Crucially, she was unable to explain to the panel exactly why Blighty's intelligence services need the ability to intercept and retain millions of innocent Britons' data in bulk, as well carry out bulk hacking operations, which would be strongly authorised if draft law – the Investigatory Powers Bill (IPB) – is passed.

While the joint committee was pleased that GCHQ's bulk surveillance and hacking operations are being brought completely within parliamentary reign for the first time, having previously been effected through royal prerogative, the panel noted that the agency's sweeping powers have not yet been justified in operational terms.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/01/13/theresa_may/

-- submitted from IRC


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by isostatic on Friday January 15 2016, @05:40PM

    by isostatic (365) on Friday January 15 2016, @05:40PM (#289965) Journal
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Informative=1, Total=1
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    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday January 15 2016, @06:12PM

    by tangomargarine (667) on Friday January 15 2016, @06:12PM (#289977)

    Geez, why are people so happy to call out the SWAT team for stupid stuff like "omg these guys may be growing pot."

    Do pot growers tend to be heavily armed with assault rifles or something? Or does Johnny Law just get a stiffy from busting down people's doors?

    --
    "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Friday January 15 2016, @06:42PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 15 2016, @06:42PM (#289987)

      When you have an expensive hammer taking a huge chunk of your yearly budget, you'd better start finding enough nails.

      • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday January 15 2016, @07:21PM

        by tangomargarine (667) on Friday January 15 2016, @07:21PM (#289999)

        Or, y'know, you could get rid of the hammer and just save the money :P

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
        • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 15 2016, @07:26PM

          by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 15 2016, @07:26PM (#290000)

          What would happen if a nail showed up? Are you soft on nails?

          • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday January 15 2016, @09:57PM

            by tangomargarine (667) on Friday January 15 2016, @09:57PM (#290035)

            Borrow your neighbor's hammer

            --
            "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
            • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 15 2016, @10:10PM

              by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 15 2016, @10:10PM (#290038)

              The whole house could fall apart in the time it takes to get their hammer.
              is that what you want, you evilmonger? The complete downfall of everything we ever built, at the hands of some rogue nail, because we were to weak to maintain our own full-scale hammering capabilities?

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 15 2016, @10:16PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 15 2016, @10:16PM (#290041)

                Worse than the house falling down, if we sell off the hammer, the wife will start to question our other tool purchases! Nobody's touching my Dewalt biscuit joiner. I really liked it the one time I used it.

                • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday January 15 2016, @11:12PM

                  by tangomargarine (667) on Friday January 15 2016, @11:12PM (#290054)

                  That's an actual thing?!

                  The burning question is whether they use American or British biscuits ("cookies").

                  --
                  "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
              • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday January 15 2016, @11:09PM

                by tangomargarine (667) on Friday January 15 2016, @11:09PM (#290053)

                Yeah, we'd much rather stare at a nail, flexing and raising our hammer, only to find out hours later it was actually a bolt.

                ...and then hammer it anyway just for the fuck of it.

                --
                "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"