As many of you probably know (especially if you live in the UK), you have to buy a license to have a TV (or even a TV tuner card for a computer). The license fees go to pay the BBC to operate. Apparently, the BBC has some secret “TV detector” vans that can sit outside your house and determine if you have an illegal TV (I only wish I were making this up). Someone filed a Freedom of Information request to find out how these supposed detector vans worked, but the request has been denied, and these magic detector vans shall remain a state secret. The BBC claimed that it could not reveal the details of the van “because if it did so it would damage the public’s perception of the effectiveness of TV detector vans.” I’m not sure, but I think that statement alone destroys the public’s perception of the effectiveness of the TV detector vans. I’m guessing that the vans are totally empty but someone drives by your place at night and looks for the flickering glow.
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