An IMP By Any Other Name?
This is totally unsubstantiated but if we are to believe T-Mobile’s Martin Hoskins, who blogs as Data Protector, the Home Office’s pet über-surveillance project, the Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), is not dead. In fact, it may have changed its name, presumably in an attempt to deflect attention from what is a controversial endeavour:
But, back to the point, the really big issue is about what “else” the state does with the powers (and the information) it has acquired. Civil liberties are very important because of the way these powers (and this information) can be misused. Tony Benn didn’t mind if his medical symptoms were on a hospital database, so that the doctors could look after him properly when he was ill, but he was not in favour of the establishment of databases for the control of people. He looks forward to the day when no one thinks it’s necessary to keep all our details on a database and watch everything we do. But I suspect we may have a long wait before that day eventually arrives.
And his thoughts gave me a lot to chew on as I attended (yet) another meeting of the “former” Interception Modernisation Programme a few days later. So you thought the IMP was dead? Well, Home Secretary should think very carefully before repeating some of those immortal lines of Monty Python star John Cleese, in the sketch where Mr Praline returned to the shop with his dead parrot:
“’E's not pinin’! ‘E’s passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! ‘E’s expired and gone to meet ‘is maker! ‘E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, ‘e rests in peace! If you hadn’t nailed ‘im to the perch ‘e’d be pushing up the daisies! ‘Is metabolic processes are now ‘istory! ‘E’s off the twig! ‘E’s kicked the bucket, ‘e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!”
Hmmmmmm, I would expect the Home Scretary to use another line in the sketch, perhaps the line where the owner of the shop said “ No no he’s not dead, he’s, he’s restin’! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn’it, ay? Beautiful plumage!”
I’ll probably return to the examine the plumage of the revamped IMP in another blog. I won’t use its new name yet just in case I’m not supposed to. But, if you creep along past bits of the Home Office today and listen very carefully, just every now and again you can hear the faint refrain:
“The IMP is dead. Long live the CCD!”
You can bet that the ‘D’ stands for ‘database’ but the Cs could be anything. What do you think?
