Spy Agencies' Computer Project "Scrapped"

What the...? They are building less databases? Don't worry, concerned sheeple; it'll only be temporary. Normal 'service' will resume soon to save you...

(Image: Straight out of 1984. Nothing else needs to be said. Also, everything to do with the police state seems to be worse in London. Or maybe they're just ahead of the curve, so to speak.)

According to the Guardian

"A multimillion-pound computer project designed to improve Britain's security by giving key government officials speedy access to secret intelligence on terrorism and other threats has been scrapped in a move described as "appalling" yesterday by a watchdog of senior MPs and peers.

The damning criticism is contained in the annual report of the Intelligence and Security Committee, which is studded with asterisks hiding facts and figures needed for the public and parliament to know what MI5, MI6, and GCHQ are up to. The committee says it is appalled that a significant phase of the project, called Scope, on which "tens of millions of pounds have been spent" has been abandoned because of technical problems. Serious failures with the computer system were revealed by the Guardian last year, but the committee says it had not yet investigated the reasons."

...

"A limited version of the project, called Scope 1, is up and running after a two-year delay. It enables MI5, MI6, and GCHQ to communicate with each other more quickly and securely than before. They can call up the latest intelligence within 15 minutes rather than waiting 12 hours."

I couldn't believe that they used the word 'secure' to describe a network. Maybe they've got some new secret unbreakable security software? (sigh) They seem to have developed a habit for leaving 'sensitive' documents on trains, unless of course the recent flurry of data losses was deliberate for some other purpose - I'm not psychic...

Point is, less databases is good. It's a no-brainer from the citizen perspective. Now let's stop them from filming us all day, reading our emails and site traffic, telling us how to live, etc. (not putting any money on it happening!)