Tv Licence

[nailit]

Just tried to access a programme on BBC iplayer and got a pop up informing me that the law has changed and you now need a licence to view catch up.

1) How would they know if you were viewing?
2) If tv licencing were to pay a visit to your home, would they have a right to take your laptop to analyse if you had been viewing iplayer?

Thanks.

[nailit]

Zacs ;-)
Thanks for the compliment, but seriously I was curious. Yes I have no intention of buying a tv licence (especially since I now have no TV) But my question stands re: how the BBC are going to enforce iplayer viewing.

[Zacs-Master]

They would have to if everyone paid their dues, would they.

[nailit]

Eh?

[EDDIE51]

Couple of points. Prisons do need a TV licence but they only need one licence for each prison. Like a Hotel, each Hotel needs a licence but only one licence per hotel not a licence for each room / cell.
Nalit I think I have told you this before, you can make a declaration online or in writing that you do not need a TV licence . You have to give a reason, one option is 'I do not have any TV receiving equipment'
Once you have made the declaration it lasts 2 years before you have to do another declaration. You do not get any more reminders once you have made the declaration, but they can visit you to check that the declaration is true. They can not check if you have been using Iplayer unless they seize your computer and check your browsing history .
The 'pop up' about iplayer is automatic, it comes up every time you select iplayer on your computer. It comes up for everyone any time you start iplayer, it does not mean they suspect you do not have a licence!

[Zacs-Master]

They wouldn't have to 'enforce' anything if people just paid to watch their service. Jeez it's only £140 a year or something isn't it?

[Mamyalynne]

Cost of a hotel and mobile units TV Licence
Your licence fee will be based on the number of accommodation or mobile units you offer where a TV receiver is installed or used.
To cover up to 15 units
You only need to pay one fee of £145.50
To cover more than 15 units
You pay one fee for the first 15 units and an additional fee of £145.50 for every extra 5 units (or fewer).

[THECORBYLOON]

From an item in The Guardian last year, 'A “computer network expert” told the Telegraph that the Beeb might be deploying a modified version of a tactic known as “packet sniffing”, which looks at the nature of data passing through Wi-Fi networks without actually intercepting it. The expert claimed that iPlayer data could be modified to make it distinguishable from other traffic without actually looking at its contents.

The BBC issued a statement rebutting the Telegraph article (without naming it), saying that there had been “considerable inaccurate reporting this weekend about how TV Licensing will detect people breaking the law by watching BBC iPlayer without a licence”.

“While we don’t discuss the details of how detection works for obvious reasons, it is wrong to suggest that our technology involves capturing data from private Wi-Fi networks."

However, carrying out the sort of mass surveillance suggested by the Telegraph is likely to be prohibitively expensive, technically challenging and quite possibly illegal.'

'Besides, there are other ways for the BBC to tell who is watching without paying. It has ruled out combing its own records of computers that have logged in to iPlayer and matching those up to licences, but it is authorised to use anti-terror legislation – the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act – to target people it already suspects of watching without a licence. It could, in theory, use that authorisation to access internet records of which sites you have visited. Even if surveillance vans were used, a targeted approach and one that didn’t monitor Wi-Fi traffic, would make more sense.'

[nailit]

EDDIE, you have indeed informed me before re; TV Licencing, just appears that this thread has gone a little off topic and turned into a thread regarding my morals for not having previously purchased a tv licence in spite of the fact that this thread is about viewing iplayer on a computer.

[coldstream-1971]

The term free loader springs to mind

[Zacs-Master]

If the BBC have deemed that to view their content on iplayer then you need to pay up or risk getting on the wrong side of the law. Again. Seems like you invite trouble (presuming that you want to watch iplayer content...otherwise your question makes no sense).

[EDDIE51]

Zacs, I have just tried to load iplayer on my laptop and yes, I got the popup saying about the TV licence. I do not use iplayer and do not intend to it was just an experiment to prove I would get the popup. As I said it is automatic as soon as you try to load iplayer. Possibly it only comes up the first time you log onto iplayer , I don't know as this is the first and only time I have tried to log on to it.

[Zacs-Master]

Thanks Eddie. Not really sure what your point is in relation to the OP tho.

[naomi24]

I think the bottom line is what we call a television licence is actually a broadcasting receiving licence. Hence, regardless of the method used to view, if you are going to watch BBC programmes you are required to purchase a licence.

[nailit]

//The term free loader springs to mind //
Does it really coldstream!

[EDDIE51]

I was just pointing out that the popup does not mean that they suspect you of using iPlayer to view TV without a licence.
I still say they can not know you are viewing on iPlayer unless they look at your browser history.

[Zacs-Master]

Yep, it does.

[EDDIE51]

naomi . It applies to viewing ANY live TV broadcast NOT just BBC !

[EDDIE51]

Zacs if that we to me, I have a TV licence but I still got the popup when I tried to load iPlayer!

[Zacs-Master]

Presumably there's some link to put you're license details in?

[THECORBYLOON]

"I still say they can not know you are viewing on iPlayer unless they look at your browser history." The article in The Guardian says otherwise.