LONDON

Recording of conversations in taxis must stop, city told

Britain’s information watchdog on Wednesday ordered a city council to stop the mandatory recording of conversations in taxis, saying it breaches the Data Protection act.

Since August 2009, Southampton City Council has required all taxis and private-hire vehicles to install CCTV equipment to constantly record images and the conversations of both drivers and passengers.

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said Wednesday that cameras can still be used in cabs, but that the compulsory recording of conversations must stop. 

Boy flies to Italy alone in embarrassing breach

The 11-year-old boy didn’t have a passport, didn’t have a ticket, didn’t have a boarding pass, and got all the way from England to Italy alone.

For him, the 1,000-mile journey was a great adventure.

“He was chatting away about being off by himself,” and passengers alerted the cabin crew, Russell Craig, a spokesman for Manchester Airport, said Wednesday.

The boy, who is known to be fascinated by transport and has a history of catching free rides on trains and buses, was sent back to Manchester on the return flight, Craig said.

For the airport, airline Jet2.com and Britain, Tuesday’s incident was an embarrassing breach of security days before the start of the Olympics. 

— From news service reports

 

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