Chapter 6: Privacy and the Government

The government as an entity does not play a major role in the episode. However, systems and policies that were put in place by the government affect the outcome of the story.

Blackmail

“A person is guilty of blackmail if, with a view to gain for himself or another or with intent to cause loss to another, he makes any unwarranted demand with menaces” [1]. The hacker in the episode obtains private information about the people they have hacked. They use this information to blackmail the characters to perform a wide variety of tasks just to gain the satisfaction of trolling them at the end.

Kenny being told to obey the hacker or his video will be leaked

View from one of the CCTV cameras showing Kenny robbing the bank

CCTV

Closed-circuit television cameras were used for video surveillance in the US dating back to 1968 [2]. In the episode, as Kenny is robbing the bank we can see multiple CCTV cameras set up in the building. It records the entire situation unfold, showing Kenny pointing a gun at the teller as he demands for money. New York Civil Liberties Union says the these cameras are a violation of privacy and will not prevent terrorist attacks [2]. It may not prevent terrorist attacks, but it is shown that these cameras do indeed play an important role in apprehension of suspects as shown in the Boston Marathon [2].

Child Pornography

The Protection of Children Act 1978 prevents the exploitation of children through things such as child pornography [3]. The main character, Kenny, and another man at the end of the episode are caught and blackmailed by the hacker for looking at child pornography. This sets up the show as Kenny’s entire life is about to be flipped if any of this information gets out to the public. He goes to great lengths to avoid that happening as this would tarnish his reputation and also it would put him in jail.

Unnamed man asking Kenny how young the kids were in the pictures

Kenny being arrested in the final moments of the episode

The Police

The law gives the police the power to arrest, detain, stop and search, road check, intimate search, fixed penalty notice, and breath test [4]. The episode ends with the police coming in to arrest Kenny. The reason is not specifically stated, but the viewers can speculate the cause. Kenny could be imprisoned for 12-20 years for robbery [5], 10 years for child pornography [3], or even imprisoned for life for homicide [6].

References

“Theft Act 1968.” Legislation.gov.uk, Statute Law Database, 26 July 1968, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60. Accessed 23 April 2022
Quinn, Michael J. Ethics for the Information Age. , 2020. Print. Accessed 23 April 2022
“Protection of Children Act 1978.” Legislation.gov.uk, Statute Law Database, 31 Aug. 1978, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/37. Accessed 23 April 2022
“The Police.” Full Fact, https://fullfact.org/finder/crime_law/police/. Accessed 23 April 2022
Robbery Definitive Guideline - Sentencing Council. https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Robbery-offences-definitive-guideline-web.pdf. Accessed 23 April 2022
“Homicide Act 1957.” Legislation.gov.uk, Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/5-6/11/enacted. Accessed 23 April 2022

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