I see Nightjack is no more. It's a great shame, as he was an excellent read.
I wonder if it's any coincidence that, on the day he decides to stop, it is announced that, from that day, details of every email sent and website visited by people in Britain are to be stored for use by the state?
As I've said before, I don't know that Copperfield, or Bloggs, or Gadget would have blogged, and then been published, if this sort of surveillance had been in place. (OK, Gadget probably would have.)
If it's used to intercept paedophiles and terrorists, who would have a problem with it?
If it's used to intercept whistleblowers who are embarrassing the government, that would be a different matter altogether.
The cost, the likelihood of mission creep and the certainty that, one day, someone will leave it all on a train somewhere are also concerning.
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5 comments:
The answer is partly yes,
The clouds on the horizon of the political blogosphere with respect to mass data collection and ISP's / Government watch lists and filters was about 33% responsible for me knocking it on the head.
I believe that governments do things for a reason. This government and others in Europe have been steady away on imposing control, identifiability, audit and "accountability" on internet use. They just won't be happy until they are sat on the pipe watching everything and knowing the identity of as many users as possible. The temptation to use that data and to start licensing personal internet use will be irresistible.
The 67% reason was that I had nothing left to do except say it all again or retreat into attack blogging the government and ACPO. That's not me.
Now I am going to sit me down and write myself a work of near future dystopian fiction where central government controls access to media and communication systems. ;)
Great shame as you say that Nightjack is no more - and interesting that he has effectively confirmed the question re the government/the internet.
If you're reading this NJ, stay safe.
If you have any means of contacting or communicating with Night Jack (his comments are now closed), would you mind asking him when the book is likely to come out? One assums some months or even years from now if, as he says, he has only just started writing it?
Oh and one other thing - will you be publishing it?
A while ago, I did discuss with Nightjack a detective's version of Gadget/Copperfield, but in the end we both decided against.
I think Nightjack's view was that it had pretty much all been said, and we feel that three police books is enough for now (though we're looking at a different true crime tale involving undercover police work at the moment).
I can't help with the date (or anything else) of his novel. We're not publishing it (or, at least, we've not been approached about it), though I do look forward to reading it.
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