TV licence visit - Doesn’t watch TV at all

Cornucopia

scouseaphrenia said:

I dont have a TV so don't need a licence and I have notified the BBC. I use computers as a hobby so if one of their "officers" turns up, do I have to prove that none of my devices have iPlayer (or anything else that will infringe the rules) installed? If so, does it mean that I have to let them look at my PC, laptop, iPad or Phone to check? What about privacy/data protection?

As per Swipe's reply above, please don't feel obliged to give TV Licensing any access to your home or any information.   There is no legal obligation to do so. 

They are specifically forbidden from interfering with computers, tablets and phones, though they will no doubt ask about TV streaming using them.  (But you do not need to reply).

The TVL enterprise is wholly flawed, IMHO.   I'm inclined to the view that having a door-to-door investigative operation that seeks entry to premises on a fishing expedition is probably unlawful (and is waiting for someone with deep enough pockets to take the necessary legal action).   The very fact that it is legally questionable should tell you everything you need to know about giving TVL a wide berth.

biscuitcase

Cornucopia said:

scouseaphrenia said:

I dont have a TV so don't need a licence and I have notified the BBC. I use computers as a hobby so if one of their "officers" turns up, do I have to prove that none of my devices have iPlayer (or anything else that will infringe the rules) installed? If so, does it mean that I have to let them look at my PC, laptop, iPad or Phone to check? What about privacy/data protection?

As per Swipe's reply above, please don't feel obliged to give TV Licensing any access to your home or any information.   There is no legal obligation to do so. 

They are specifically forbidden from interfering with computers, tablets and phones, though they will no doubt ask about TV streaming using them.  (But you do not need to reply).

The TVL enterprise is wholly flawed, IMHO.   I'm inclined to the view that having a door-to-door investigative operation that seeks entry to premises on a fishing expedition is probably unlawful (and is waiting for someone with deep enough pockets to take the necessary legal action).   The very fact that it is legally questionable should tell you everything you need to know about giving TVL a wide berth.

The BBC claim (at least in Northern Ireland) that legislation grants them the right to use RIPA anti-terrorism laws to perform 'surveillance.' I suppose that includes snooping on IP addresses and contacting ISPs for information?  

Like you've said,  the opacity seems deliberate. But it can't be right or just that sweeping powers are utilised without the public having any clear idea of the particulars,  especially involving data and privacy.  

Cornucopia

biscuitcase said:

The BBC claim (at least in Northern Ireland) that legislation grants them the right to use RIPA anti-terrorism laws to perform 'surveillance.' I suppose that includes snooping on IP addresses and contacting ISPs for information?  

Like you've said,  the opacity seems deliberate. But it can't be right or just that sweeping powers are utilised without the public having any clear idea of the particulars,  especially involving data and privacy.  

I can't comment on Northern Ireland specifically, because the TV Licensing situation there seems to be different, and it also produces very little evidence about how it works.

More generally, my understanding is that the RIPA authority relates specifically to electronic surveillance (i.e. the legendary TV detectors), and to more general physical surveillance by people upon other people's homes.   Typically these activities are used as a pre-cursor to the very rare TVL warrant and are used to try to ensure that someone is at home when a warrant is served.

AFAIK, BBC/TV Licensing do not have routine access to snoop on web traffic en route or to information from ISPs (though they could use tracking information revealed through iPlayer usage).   I believe there was going to be a new obligation on pay-TV providers to share subscriber info with TV Licensing, but I don't know what happened with it.   The old obligation was scrapped with Dealer Notification in 2013, and it didn't work properly, anyway. 

They have the capability to demand individual subscriber information for Pay TV operators about someone being prosecuted, and this is used to show a notional "aggravation" to the evasion offence.

The BBC is a large, wealthy and influential organisation and one of the issues is that some of the things that the Public believe about TV Licensing either aren't true, or they are wildly exaggerated from some fairly basic activities.   One of the first things they do if you complain is to "explain" to you that when you thought they said X or did Y, you were mistaken.   They can be very slippery.    This fits in well to a broader culture of secrecy that covers the entire organisation.