This is a good BBC read that might convince a few people that the information technology involved in setting up national database systems isn’t going to be intruder-proof.

My precis:

Basically two policemen moonlighting as phone crackers etc for a private detective agency that provided tech interruption services to a toxic waste company to carry out surveillance on local planners and environmentalist opponents. (Plus the hiring guy’s wife when they were getting a divorce .)

The guy put on BT overalls and attched the devices to BT lines. Noone batted an eyelid obv until BT found its customers were getting ripped off for phone time.

You couldn’t make this stuff up…. etc 🙂