Government Internet Surveillance Measures Slammed

The Government is facing strong criticism over plans to allow monitoring of all UK citizens’ web and email communications.

The changes, set to come into force soon, will mean GCHQ will be able to see which websites people have visited and who they are in contact with via email. The actual content of emails will not be seen by law enforcement.

Vital measures?

The Home Office told TechWeekEurope it could not go into detail on when the laws would come into force, nor would it go any further than its official statement. It has been rumoured the legislation will be announced in the Queen’s Speech in May.

“It is vital that police and security services are able to obtain communications data in certain circumstances to investigate serious crime and terrorism and to protect the public. We need to take action to maintain the continued availability of communications data as technology changes,” a Home Office spokesperson said.

“Communications data includes time, duration and dialing numbers of a phone call, or an email address. It does not include the content of any phone call or email and it is not the intention of Government to make changes to the existing legal basis for the interception of communications.

“As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review we will legislate as soon as parliamentary time allows to ensure that the use of communications data is compatible with the Government’s approach to civil liberties.”

‘No justification’

Rights groups have taken umbrage with the laws, concerned about excessive policing of the internet. “The Government has offered no justification for what is unprecedented intrusion into our lives, nor explained why promises made about civil liberties are being casually junked,” director of the Big Brother Watch, Nick Pickles, told TechWeekEurope. “The silence from Home Office ministers has been deafening. It is remarkable that they wish to pry into everything we do online but seem intent on avoiding any public discussion.”

Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group, said “blanket collection, without suspicion, or powers to compel companies to hand over data on the say-so of a police officer would be very wrong.

“The saga of complicity between senior police officers and Murdoch’s journalists should tell us how vulnerable people’s privacy can be. The government should stand by the commitments both parties made before the election to protect our privacy.”

Others have pointed to the additional burden on business. “The proposals we are hearing about undermine the rule of law by circumventing due process in the name of security and anti-terrorism,” Dominique Lazanski, head of digital policy at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, told TechWeekEurope. “More importantly, the cost to business to comply with these regulations will be immense and will take away from the much needed investment in Internet infrastructure, the economy and jobs. It’s clear that these proposals are not well thought through.”

Some have compared the Coalition’s actions to the previous Labour Government, which did pursue similar allowances under former home secretary Jacqui Smith. At the time, Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians criticised moves to up surveillance.

In March last year, it was reported GCHQ was to get a major funding boost so it could effectively monitor internet activity.

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