According to today’s Sunday Telegraph:
Internet records to be stored for a year
Details of every email sent and website visited by people in Britain are to be stored for use by the state from tomorrow as part of what campaigners claim is a massive assault on privacy.
A European Union directive, which Britain was instrumental in devising, comes into force which will require all internet service providers to retain information on email traffic, visits to web sites and telephone calls made over the internet, for 12 months.
Police and the security services will be able to access the information to combat crime and terrorism.
Hundreds of public bodies and quangos, including local councils, will also be able to access the data to investigate flytipping and other less serious crimes.
Privacy campaigners say the move to force telecoms companies to store the data is the first step towards the controversial central database at the heart of the Home Office’s Intercept Modernisation Programme, which will gather far more detailed information on Britain’s online activities.
Information held includes the details of who contacted who, and when, but does not involve the content of emails being stored.
The taxpayer will reimburse internet service providers and telecoms companies for the costs associated with storing the billions of individual records.
Whilst this is being done to give the Home Office more powers, Lib Dem MP Julia Goldsworthy has used the Freedom of Information act to find out that councils have already used existing anti-terrorist powers 10,333 times for things as trivial as dog fouling.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
