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The Portable Antiquities Scheme, and now the UK Detector Finds Database hide the names, even, of the "finders" of the artefacts they list. This hinders any attempt to achieve transparency in the way the archaeological heritage is dealt with. The reason given is simple, these are personal data, in the meaning of the UK Personal Data Protection Act and as such cannot be published. What then, are we to make of metal detectorists who deliberately and with malicious premeditation publish on metal detecting blogs the home addresses of heritage bloggers, as one of them has just done? Or attempt to make use of other material to which they have gained unauthorised access? What kind of people are these? That was a rhetorical question, the increasing numbers of regular readers of this blog will by now be quite clear who the people are who go out metal detecting and hoiking all those artefacts away for themselves.
The reader might like to consider whether train spotters, or brass rubbers, on coming across criticism about their activities, or questions asked, would retaliate by threatening the person making those points, or his family, by posting distracting offensive material about them on the Internet. The reader might also like to consider whether rhino poachers, bent cops, or kiddie porn merchants, on coming across criticism about their activities, or questions asked, would retaliate by threatening the person making those points, or his family, or by posting distracting and offensive material about them on the Internet.
So, metal detecting, closer to brass rubbing or rhino poaching?
Whatever these malicious people want, they apparently see only one way to achieve it, by intimidation, harrassment and threat. Mobthuggery is their only answer to the issues raised by portable antiquities collecting. And all the rest just sit back and watch and snigger.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme, and now the UK Detector Finds Database hide the names, even, of the "finders" of the artefacts they list. This hinders any attempt to achieve transparency in the way the archaeological heritage is dealt with. The reason given is simple, these are personal data, in the meaning of the UK Personal Data Protection Act and as such cannot be published. What then, are we to make of metal detectorists who deliberately and with malicious premeditation publish on metal detecting blogs the home addresses of heritage bloggers, as one of them has just done? Or attempt to make use of other material to which they have gained unauthorised access? What kind of people are these? That was a rhetorical question, the increasing numbers of regular readers of this blog will by now be quite clear who the people are who go out metal detecting and hoiking all those artefacts away for themselves.
The reader might like to consider whether train spotters, or brass rubbers, on coming across criticism about their activities, or questions asked, would retaliate by threatening the person making those points, or his family, by posting distracting offensive material about them on the Internet. The reader might also like to consider whether rhino poachers, bent cops, or kiddie porn merchants, on coming across criticism about their activities, or questions asked, would retaliate by threatening the person making those points, or his family, or by posting distracting and offensive material about them on the Internet.
So, metal detecting, closer to brass rubbing or rhino poaching?
Whatever these malicious people want, they apparently see only one way to achieve it, by intimidation, harrassment and threat. Mobthuggery is their only answer to the issues raised by portable antiquities collecting. And all the rest just sit back and watch and snigger.
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