On 4 Feb, 15:10, Roland Perry wrote:

In message
, at
06:43:38 on Wed, 4 Feb 2009, Mizter T remarked:

Please note that a limited number of authorised individuals within TfL
can access Oyster card data and no external organisations have direct
access to the data.

Yet, but one more terrorist outrage and it will go the way of Congestion
Charging, with all the data available to the police.

[Note that the quoted words are not mine but those of an official TfL
response to questions about access to the Oyster card database - see
upthread for the context.]

Hmm, I get where you're coming from but I'm certainly not convinced of
that - also, I think the police have always had full access to the
Congestion Charging system and cameras right from the start.

I think TfL are well aware that the integrity of the system rests on a
clear demarcation being maintained between the database and 'the
authorities', i.e. the police. I expect that the existing 'gatekeeper'
process could act in a nimble and rapid manner should that be required
- in other words it could be dealt with under the existing system.

If the police were allowed to have live access to the database or to
do data-mining 'fishing trips' (to mix my analogies) then confidence
in the system would evaporate, there would be a massive uproar and
people would kick up a big fuss, even if there had just been a
terrorist atrocity. I think the police and other authorities know this
as well. I dare say the current process whereby querying the database
is an activity removed from the police might in a way actually suit
them quite well.