Privacy - and you !

When you make a phone call - you expect that to be a private conversation between yourself and the person called - right ?

Wrong ! The police and a whole host of civilian authorities have a legal right to listen to that conversation - and record it as evidence in court.

The rise of technology is such that for a few dollars anyone can walk into shops like Dick Smith and buy equipment that will allow them to tap into the phone network. To do so would be illegal - but at any given time that is probably being done by thousands of people.

Now privacy has gone one step further. The " Blackberry " system as manufactured in Mexico contains an encryption that defies penetration. It is expensive to use in " global roaming " mode, but then expense is of little consequence to terrorists, the drug trade and the secrecy needs of international business people.

World governments demand that they be given the key to bust that encryption to avoid the device becoming the tool of crime. It seems that as fast as one side of law makes gains - the other side of criminality negates it.

For the average man and women in the street this ongoing battle delivers a lesson. Never say anything on a phone that may come back to haunt you ! To those planning a crime - or those having an affair - your words into that little electronic gizmo are floating in space and can be snared by clever, inexpensive equipment.

Privacy - is a myth !