UK Law Enforcement Is Against "3-Strikes"

Now that the UK is discussing plans for some form of 3-strikes regime to discourage file-sharing, TechDirt reports that the fans of due process have picked up unlikely allies: the law enforcement and spying establishments fear that a 3-strikes policy would result in far more encryption on the Net, greatly complicating their jobs. "Of course, they're not as concerned about due process and civil rights, as they are about making it more difficult to track down criminals online: 'Law enforcement groups, which include the Serious and Organized Crime Agency and the Metropolitan Police's e-crime unit, believe that more encryption will increase the costs and workload for those attempting to monitor internet traffic. ... A source involved in drafting the Bill said that the intelligence agencies, MI5 and MI6, had also voiced concerns about disconnection. "The spooks hate it," the source said.'" The Times (UK) Online has more details.

Re:Law enforcement isn't a US sports game

[TimHunter]

Can somebody explain how this idiotic idea came about

It comes from the music industry executives.

Well, actually, no. Close, but no. It got started by the only group capable of giving the music industry executives competition in the stupidity race, politicians. Politicians learn very quickly that you can't go wrong by being tough on crime, so every year they enact increasingly medieval laws designed to make the populace think "there, that'll get those criminals off the street!" "Three strikes" originally meant "if you get convicted of three felonies then we'll put you in jail forever."

"Three strikes" sounds good until you fill up the jails and you have to ask the voters for money to build more jails. (The only thing voters hate more than criminals is taxes.) Of course your average politician is unable think past the next election, so the jails filling up with struck-out felons naturally came as a surprise to them.

And of course, once you've made a crime law you can't undo it, no matter how stupid and counter-productive it is, because then your opponent in the next election will accuse you of "being soft on crime."

There, now I've gone and gotten off-topic. Damn hot-button topics.

Re:Law enforcement isn't a US sports game

[CastrTroy]

The three strikes idea comes out of of California. The basic idea was that after you committed 3 serious criminal offenses, they were able lock you up for an extended period of time. It first was passed in California, in 1994, long before the internet was popular.

Re:MI5 and MI6?

[nelsonal]

Military Intelligence Division 5 and Divsion 6, I believe. MI5 is the UK's version of the FBI, while MI-6 is the UK's version of the CIA. If you listen to bond carefully, you'll usually hear some references to MI6.

Re:Law enforcement isn't a US sports game

[CastrTroy]

Sorry, here's the wikipedia link to the three strikes law [wikipedia.org].

Re:MI5 and MI6?

[Timosch]

Although, to be precise, the MI6 is nowadays called Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and in contrast to the FBI, the MI5 does not have police-like powers like arresting etc.