Queen's Speech: Lie detector tests to catch benefit cheats

[Dave Rogers]

If they did work as claimed, why do they need big advertising campaigns to tell you they are in the area

Just a comment on this bit: as far as I recall, the tendency is to have national advertising campaigns warning that "TV detector vans are operating in your area". The rather obvious contradiction in this approach suggests that a disinformation strategy is in effect.

Dave

 

[Leif Roar]

If they did work as claimed, why do they need big advertising campaigns to tell you they are in the area and why do they seem to exclusively (this is mostly anecdotal but backed up by some press stories) target homes that their records show as having no license.

Well, even if detector vans do work, why would they target homes that admits to having a TV. "Why, that dirty scoundrel pays a license without having a single TV in the house. We can't have that! Pay him back his money, with interests!"

I think detector vans might have worked to some degree for the previous generation of TVs (old CRTs receiving analogue signals); at least towards freestanding houses -- probably less so against individual apartments in blocks. Modern plasma or LCD tvs with digital reception, though? Not a chance. There'd be no way to distinguish those from a computer or other consumer electronics.

Even when (if) the vans were useful, I suspect it would have been more cost effective to just send someone out with a pair of binoculars to look for the shine of a TV through people's living room windows.

 

[Mashuna]

Oops!

Rolfe.

Who are you, and what have you done with Tolfe?

 

[Ivor the Engineer]

<snip>

I think detector vans might have worked to some degree for the previous generation of TVs (old CRTs receiving analogue signals); at least towards freestanding houses -- probably less so against individual apartments in blocks. Modern plasma or LCD tvs with digital reception, though? Not a chance. There'd be no way to distinguish those from a computer or other consumer electronics.

<snip>

I think it depends on the level of spurious emissions from the receiver frontend. I agree it would be virtually impossible to localise any signals down to individual apartments.

 

[Egg]

Apparently, lie detectors are now accurate enough to use to determine if people are cheating when claiming benefits, as Gordon Brown proposes to introduce their use.

I'd be fine with introducing this policy, but only on the condition that they also introduce lie detectors into the House of Commons. Lie detector hats with flashing lights which politicians have to wear during interviews and speeches.

Same with the plans to keep our emails and phone conversations - fine, just so long as they also set up a public website which displays all communications made by government and related civil servants.

 

[richardm]

I'd be fine with introducing this policy, but only on the condition that they also introduce lie detectors into the House of Commons. Lie detector hats with flashing lights which politicians have to wear during interviews and speeches.

Rather unfair to the poor MPs who suffer from photosensitive epilepsy. It would be strobing like an '80s nightclub in the chamber.

 

[Beerina]

How do the vans tell the difference between watching stations and watching recordings?

Don't know offhand, but one way that might work would be they know what's being broadcast, and they can detect the EMF from the electron gun in the tube, and see if the pulsing aligns with anything being broa...


Wait! I'll be god damned if I help socialists figure out a way to more efficently seize money they didn't earn from people who don't want to pay it, especially when it's related to free speech.