rpfuller - Slashdot User

Submission + - UK taps 439,000 phones and emails; wants 645 more

Submitted by JPMH on Tuesday February 20, 2007 @04:50AM

JPMH writes: With the largest density of CCTV cameras in the world, and an increasing network of automatic number-plate recognition cameras on main roads, Britain has long been a pioneer for the surveillance society. Now new official figures reveal that UK agencies monitored 439,000 telephones and email addresses in a 15 month period between 2005 and 2006. The Interception of Communications Commissioner is seeking the right for agencies to be allowed to monitor the communications of Members of Parliament as well, something which has been forbidden since the 1960s. It must be that it is bringing their numbers down: on the law of averages they should be monitoring at least 5 of the MPs.

UK's Blair Dismisses Online Anti ID-Card Petition 377

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday February 20, 2007 @04:29AM from the no-is-an-answer-too dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Prime Minister Tony Blair has responded personally via email to 28,000 online petitioners opposing the UK's planned identity card scheme, and has closed the online petition. The email reads: 'We live in a world in which people, money and information are more mobile than ever before. Terrorists and international criminal gangs increasingly exploit this to move undetected across borders and to disappear within countries. Terrorists routinely use multiple identities — up to 50 at a time... ID cards which contain biometric recognition details and which are linked to a National Identity Register will make this much more difficult.'"

Submission + - Ted Stevens calls Wikipedia ban in Schools

Submitted by

DJCacophony

on Thursday February 15, 2007 @05:36AM

DJCacophony writes: "Ted "series of tubes" Stevens has introduced his next piece of proposed legislation. Going by the interim name S.49, the bill aims to block access to interactive websites from schools and libraries. The wording of the bill is vague enough to apply to Wikipedia, Myspace (and other social networking sites), and potentially even blogs.
The bill is apparently so similar to the failed "Deleting Online Predators Act" of last year that it has been termed "DOPA jr." by some."

Submission + - Amazing Cancer Drug Found; Scientist Annoyed.

Submitted by

sporkme

on Thursday February 15, 2007 @03:26AM

sporkme writes: "A scientist was frustrated when the compound she was working with destroyed her sample of cancer cells. Further research revealed that the substance was surprisingly well suited as a cancer treatment. From the article:

"I made a calculation error and used a lot more than I should have. And my cells died," Schaefer said. A colleague overheard her complaining. "The co-author on my paper said,' Did I hear you say you killed some cancer?' I said 'Oh', and took a closer look." They ran several tests and found the compound killed "pretty much every epithelial tumor cell lines we have seen."
Lab test results on hapless mice have resulted in the destruction of colon tumors without making the mice sick. The PPAR-gamma compound is expected to be especially useful in combating treatment-resistant types of cancer."

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