IP: Police seek to intercept emails without warrant: UK

[Vladimir Z. Nuri]

From: believer at telepath.com
Subject: IP: Police seek to intercept emails without warrant: UK
Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 11:13:14 -0500
To: believer at telepath.com

Source:  London Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000150689433551&rtmo=wMontQMb&atmo=99999
999&P4_FOLLOW_ON=/98/9/20/nemai20.html&pg=/et/98/9/20/nemai20.html

UK News 
Electronic Telegraph 
Sunday 20 September 1998
Issue 1213

Police seek to intercept emails without warrant
By David Bamber 

THE police will be able to intercept private emails without obtaining
a warrant, under a new agreement being finalised with Internet
providers.

The Telegraph has discovered that the police are negotiating the right
to monitor electronic letters by examining information held on disks
at the offices of the computer companies providing the links.
Because the laws on interception were drafted before emails were
widely used, the police do not need to obtain individual warrants to
read the correspondence. Telephone tapping and the interception of
ordinary post require a warrant from the Home Secretary, Jack
Straw.

The police say they need access to emails sent by the country's
eight-million Internet users so that they can monitor criminal activity,
especially paedophile and pornography rings. Mr Straw is backing
the proposed agreement. The police want all Internet providers to
keep copies of emails for a week. But the far-reaching moves have
led to fears that the private correspondence of innocent people and
businesses will be routinely monitored.

Liz Parratt, of the civil liberties organisation, Liberty, said: "Allowing
the police to read emails without a warrant would be akin to allowing
them to steam open our letters as soon as we put them in the post
box. I'd be interested to hear if any Internet providers signed up to
this shabby deal."

The first of three forums between Internet providers and the
Association of Chief Police Officers will be held in Edinburgh on
Tuesday.

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1998.
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