There are thousands of little corner shops, newsagents and market stalls which sell pay-as-you-go SIM cards for a few pounds with no questions asked in the UK.

There are thousands of little corner shops, newsagents and market stalls which sell pay-as-you-go SIM cards for a few pounds with no questions asked in the UK. Basic mobile handsets can be bought cheaply off markets or car boots, again an anonymous cash transaction with no questions asked. This will do nothing to stop those with nefarious aims from getting hold of unregistered mobile devices and will simply increase the surveillance of those of us who obey the law. The trade in mobile phones and SIM cards via thousands of small outlets simply can not be regulated. It'll be the same as buying TV equipment: buy from a big shop and they require your name and address to pass on to the TV licence company to check you're licensed. Buy from a car boot sale or out of the paper and they just hand over the TV. What precisely are they on here? The fact that some criminals use unregistered pay-as-you-go mobiles is practically irrelevant. This is just another step towards total surveillance.