Abolish the law against ATC listening in UK

[ardpro]

New petition online now. Anyone interested please sign. Will probably require about 300 signatures to have any effect. Certainly worth a try and long overdue.

Abolish the UK Law against Listening to Aviation Feeds - Petition signatures - GoPetition (http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/listening-to-aviation-feeds/signatures.html)

[Karl Bamforth]

Getting the law changed will cost money, why not just turn the radio on and listen ?

The only way they will know is if you use the information gained for other purposes.

Changeing the law sounds like a way of allowing press etc to use ATC, police radio traffic etc for sensational purposes.

[Shunter]

You mean they don't already? The video of the Thomson birdstrike at Manchester was all over the TV, air traffic soundtrack, the lot. Either they have no idea they were breaking the law, or they simply don't care.

Police radio is encypted these days. If you're listening in on that you deserve everything you get!

[PPRuNe Radar]

Will the law make it legal for me to have full access to information from other peoples jobs and places of work, so I can have a look and take an interest ? For example, can I go in and watch a heart transplant ?? I'd quite like that. Or maybe I could get full access to the banking industry and make sure my financial wellbeing has the inside edge.

The answer of course is no, and using ATC transmissions for any purpose other than those for which they are intended should also remain illegal.

Karl's post is the appropriate compromise. People who listen only for their own pleasure have no fear of being caught and can continue to do so. Those who seek to rebroadcast the transmissions without permission or authority, in whatever form, should continue to be subject to prosecution in my view.

[ardpro]

True, the Thompson birdstrike was all over the media, but NATS probably let that pass as it showed work of ATCOs in a positive light (dealing cooly and professionally with an emergency situation etc ). They certainly wouldn't have been pleased if a mistake was made by ATC and then broadcast. So I can understand that there are workplace privacy issues here. But could there be a way around that where ATC authorities could prevent mass media broadcast of certain incidents that may have negative/sensationalist potential, whilst stil allowing for a liberalisation of the law ? How do they get around this problem in USA and some European countries where ATC listening is legal and broadcast live on the internet and even at airport viewing galleries like at Zurich ? The main reason for the ban seems to be a hangover from WWII/Cold War period when the major players (UK,Germany, France and Italy) banned listening and the law has remained ever since. It's noticeable on www.liveatc.net (http://www.liveatc.net) that the only European airports that have feeds on that website are in countries that were neutral during WWII ( Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden ) or very liberal countries like Holland. I really think it would be a positive thing for ATC trainees and promoting the profession in a positive light if properly handled.

[Gulf4uk]

The problem as I see it The more you draw Attention to something people
start getting involved you don't want.
The Authority's turn a blind eye to Air-band listening at the moment and
if people start making a fuss this might change big Splashes over
papers about peoples right to know will happen .The press
love this sort of thing Leave it Alone . Anyone finding ways of listening
to Police and other Official sources should be stopped no doubt they
are and penalty's are huge .
The Spotter using his Radio Causes no problem leave it that
way.

Tony