February 2001 Cyber-cops target local ISP's (17 Feb 2001)
More trees destroyed for "road to nowhere" (8 Feb 2001)
Now public can obtain Council's spy-camera footage (1 February 2001)
17 Feb 2001
![[Bradford ISP Legend Internet]](legend.jpg)
West Yorkshire Police have been visiting Internet Service Providers (ISP's), including Bradford's "Legend Internet", seeking co-operation in their efforts to combat "cyber-crime".
They have been persuading ISP's to retain "internet service logs" - which contain the details of every communication passing through the network - for periods of up to 7 years. It was these logs that helped trace the activities of the "Wonderland" paedophile ring.
The move follows the publication last year of a classified report by Roger Gaspar, Director of Intelligence for the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), which insists that the police and Intelligence services should have automatic access to all telephone calls, e-mails and internet connections in the UK. Last month Home Secretary Jack Straw confirmed that he'd assigned £337,000 to the NCIS for a feasibility study on establishing a specialised "cyber force".
See:
Full story8 Feb 2001
![[Destruction wrought at Bankfield Hotel]](bankfield.jpg)
Roadbuilders have wrought more damage in preparation for the building of the so-called Bingley Relief Road, cutting down dozens of mature trees in front of the Bankfield Hotel, near Cottingley.
Local residents are appalled at the scale of the destruction. The area will be the site of a new roundabout, linking the Relief Road into the existing A650. Here traffic, of which the peak hour flow is expected to double when the new road is opened, will be funnelled towards Saltaire, where it is certain to create huge problems. Anxious council highways officers are currently monitoring traffic levels there.
Meanwhile, the council's Specialist Pollution team have published an assessment of the districts air quality. Using new modelling software, they have included predictions of pollution levels from the new road at Bingley in 2004. They do not expect pollution to exceed acceptable levels.
But incredibly they have completely ignored traffic on the existing Main St, which is only 80 metres away. There is also no comparison with predicted conditions without the new road.
KDIS showed that the Units previous report on the environmental impact of the new road was designed to give a deliberately misleadingly picture. It would seem the new report continues in that tradition!
See
previous posting.1 February 2001
![[Elizabeth France, Information Commissioner, and CCTV]](dataprotect.jpg)
Everyone in Bradford can now obtain CCTV footage of themselves caught by Bradford Council's spy-camera network. And it won't cost them a penny.
Bradford Council has finally complied with the requirements of the Data Protection Act, which became law in March last year, and registered their CCTV network.
And this week the government's Information Commissioner, Elizabeth France, urged the public to use the new law to obtain personal data - including CCTV footage - kept on them by the authority:
"While the new Freedom of Information Act will not come into force in Whitehall until next year, people do not realise they already have rights under the Data Protection Act to request all this information about themselves."
Like many other councils, Bradford initially resisted registering their CCTV networks. But in July last year Elizabeth France published a special code of practice covering CCTV which spelt out clearly their legal responsibilities. Council officers attending a Crime Reduction conference held in Bradford at that time admitted they would be forced to comply.
The council's CCTV entry on the register is the last of 79 "purposes" recently updated. It gives the purpose as:
"Recording and retention of sound and/or visual images for the purposes of monitoring for potential criminal activity, investigating criminal activity and for providing evidence of such activity in legal proceedings."
Data "subjects" are described as "Current, past, potential complainants,... witnesses,... and suspected offenders." The entry states the council may disclose the images to "The data subjects themselves; Employees, agents; Legal representatives; Suppliers, providers of goods or services; Police forces; Private detective agencies, security organisations."
Comedian Mark Thomas has already used the law to obtain CCTV footage, which he then used in his Channel 4 TV show last month. He has set up a competition for the "most creative short film" obtained by the public from CCTV cameras using the new law.
KDIS will be testing the Council's compliance with the law. Watch this space for further updates...
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