Garbage Surveillance in the UK

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Bruce Schneier <schneier () counterpane com>
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 23:09:15 -0600
To: <EPIC_IDOF () mailman epic org>
Subject: [EPIC_IDOF] Garbage Surveillance in the UK

http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1410921,00.html

Coming to a bin near you, the spy that tells how much rubbish you create

Hugh Muir
Friday February 11, 2005
The Guardian

Though he foresaw many ways in which Big Brother might watch us, even
George Orwell never imagined that the authorities would keep a keen eye on
your bin.

Residents of Croydon, south London, have been told that the microchips
being inserted into their new wheely bins may well be adapted so that the
council can judge whether they are producing too much rubbish.

If the technology suggests that they are, errant residents may be visited
by officials bearing advice on how they might "manage their rubbish more
effectively".

In the shorter term the microchips will be used to tell council officers
how many of the borough's 100,000 bins the refuse collectors have emptied
and how many have been missed.

While the move will be welcomed by environmentalists, it has sparked a row
between the Labour-led council and Andrew Pelling, the Conservative who
represents the area on the London assembly. He has tagged the microchips
the "spy in your bin".

Mr Pelling said: "The Stasi or the KGB could never have dreamed of getting
a spying device in every household."

He said the technology might yield information which could be misused.

"If, for example, computer hackers broke in to the system, they could see
sudden reductions in waste in specific households, suggesting the owners
were on holiday and the house vacant."

But a spokesman for Croydon council said the fears were unjustified. "What
we don't want is people putting into their wheely bins tins and glass and
paper and textiles, all of which could go into recycling bins. It is the
way forward for waste management. We are not the only council thinking
about it."

He said the microchips would help the council fend off unwarranted
criticism.

"We will have a confident response to customers who claim their bin may not
have been emptied," he added.

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