Inbox: Home Office hacking powers go too far

The weekly Inbox column collects the best and most thought-provoking of the reader comments silicon.com receives each week.
Regular silicon.com column the Legal Eye attracted some comments this week regarding its views on Home Office plans to allow the hacking of home PCs.

Readers also got heated over the pros and cons of antivirus following a story on a virus that hit Navy warships, and finally the Department for Work and Pensions came under fire for IT projects that are running years behind schedule.

Don't forget to post your own response to any of these stories or comments by clicking here.

Legal Eye: Does Home Office online surveillance go too far?
Increased scrutiny of the public's online activities could undermine the viability of the web, says lawyer Ruth Hoy.

Take after the US
In the US, we just got rid of one bad president and his party because they thought it was okay to do what your EU is proposing.

Good luck in getting rid of all of your presidents and their backward vision.
Mouhamad Naboulsi, Metro Detroit USA

Making cybercrime easier?
For the police to obtain access means hacking into a computer just as the criminals do. This means that firewalls and antivirus must have flaws to be exploited by the police, thus opening a great big door for cybercrime.

This means that a law to combat crime will make crime easier.
misceng, UK

My other PC's a…
PC users may need three computers. One standalone computer for private information, one connected to the internet and a third computer in an internet cafe. A nuisance but the only way to maintain control over one's privacy.
Anonymous, London

"If they had evidence they could get a warrant"
"No judicial oversight or clearance" - if they had evidence they could get a warrant. This allows searches based at best on suspicion or at worst on the say so of a possibly "bad apple" police officer who could then place incriminating evidence on the suspect machine. I'm not saying it will happen but can you prove it won't?

"Remote, warrant-free searches of computers are currently legal under parts of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act."

Thank you for reminding people that Ripa has already stripped people of their privacy - the current move is simply to allow international sharing of the gathered data. The genie is already out of the bottle, I would like it put back in.
Karen Challinor, UK

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Warship computers scuttled after virus attack
Computer systems were disabled on warships and armed forces bases by the Ministry of Defence after a virus spread through a Ministry of Defence network.

Lacking antivirus?
First the NHS, now the MoD - do these people not use antivirus software?
Roger Brown, Kettering

But antivirus not enough?
Roger, if you can point me in the direction of the AV software that is guaranteed to stop ALL viruses forever I am sure that the NHS and the MoD will take your call.
Paul Common, Yeovil

Mac-tastic
See - now if they were using Macs for web, email and other administrative uses - they would still be up and running.
Anonymous, London

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The nine DWP projects that are 15 years behind schedule
Nine major IT projects underway at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are collectively more than 15 years late.

Got an opinion on any of these stories? Get it off your chest

Post a comment below…

Spreading themselves too thin
Nine 'major IT projects' on the go at the same time.

No wonder they are all messed up, as the IT programme director won't know if he/she is coming or going.

More government IT 'beggaring belief' incompetence, yet again.
Anonymous, Birmingham

Ageism again
If they want real project managers they should go recruit from those with grey hair that have a good history of running projects.

Sadly nowadays grey hair continues to be a qualification only for redundancy.
Chris Stevens, London

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