A small news item two days ago said that Research In Motion, RIM, the Canadian company that owns Blackbury has refused the Indian government's demand of disclosure of its encryption codes so, at least for now, users of Blackbury devices are safe from snooping by the authorities. On the same day Deutsche Telecom set up investigation into allegations that it had been logging calls of its personnel to find a the person who has been leaking sensitive information to the press. Deutsche Telekom did not actually listen to any conversation, as the Indian police wants to do, but just logged what numbers were being called and this has caused an uproar. Unfortunately Indians are so busy trying to survive that no one is outraged by this assault on our privacy. Government officials, including the police, have given themselves the right to bug any phone without permission. The excuse is that they want to catch terrorists. Yet terrorists are able to thrive because of the help they receive from the same sarkari officials. Bangladeshis are allowed free entry into the country and no attempt is made to expel illegal immigrants. They obtain ration cards easily by paying bribes. In the Mumabi blasts case policemen were convicted of knowingly allowing trucks full of explosives to pass on being paid money. Yet after every episode of terrorism our civic liberties are curtailed. After the recent bombs the Jaipur police has ruled that all bicycles must be registered. Presumably if a suicide bomber came with explosives up his rectum they would want to register all rectums. It is hopeless.