UK surveillance plan to go ahead

Eugen Leitl eugen at leitl.org
Tue Nov 10 02:34:51 PST 2009


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8350660.stm

UK surveillance plan to go ahead

By Dominic Casciani

BBC News

Facebook

Social networks: Data recorded - but not content

The Home Office says it will push ahead with plans to ask communications
firms to monitor all internet use.

Ministers confirmed their intention despite concerns and opposition from some
in the industry.

The proposals include asking firms to retain information on how people use
social networks such as Facebook.

Some 40% of respondents to the Home Office's consultation opposed the plans -
but ministers say communication interception needs to be updated.

Both the police and secret security services have legal powers in the UK to
intercept communications in the interests of combating crime or threats to
national security.

But the rules largely focus on communications over telephones and do not
cover the whole range of internet communications now being used.

The Home Office says it wants to change the law to compel communication
service providers (CSPs) to collect and retain records of communications from
a wider range of internet sources, from social networks through to chatrooms
and unorthodox methods, such as within online games.

Ministers say that they do not want to create a single government-owned
database and only intend to ask CSPs to hold a record of a contact, rather
than the actual contents of what was said.

Technically challenging

Police and other agencies would then be able to ask CSPs for information on
when a communication was sent and between whom.
	
REASONS TO CHANGE WHAT DATA CAN BE KEPT

More communication via computers rather than phones

Companies won't always keep all data all the time

Anonymity online masks criminal identities

More online services provided from abroad

Data held in many locations and difficult to find

Source: Home Office consultation

In theory, law enforcement agencies will be able to link that information to
specific devices such as an individual's smartphone or laptop.

The proposals are technically challenging, as they would require a CSP to
sort and organise all third-party traffic coming and going through their
systems. The estimated #2bn bill for the project includes compensation for
the companies involved.

Home Office minister David Hanson said: "Communications data is crucial to
the fight against crime and in keeping people safe. It is a highly technical
area and one which demands a fine balance between privacy and maintaining the
capabilities of the police and security services.

"The consultation showed widespread recognition of the importance of
communications data in protecting the public and an appreciation of the
challenges which rapidly changing technology poses.

"We will now work with communications service providers and others to develop
these proposals, and aim to introduce necessary legislation as soon as
possible."

Opposition and concern

The consultation results reveal that 90 of the 221 responses opposed the
basic principles that the government should be seeking a method to retain or
look at the data.

The Home Office said that there was a "widespread but not unanimous"
recognition of the role of data in protecting the public. But many concerns
related to the detail of what would be done with the information.

Christopher Graham, the Information Commissioner responsible for overseeing
the protection of private information, told the Home Office that while he
recognised that the police needed to use communication data to stop crime,
this in itself was not a justification to collect all possible data passing
through the internet.

"The proposal represents a step change in the relationship between the
citizen and the state," said Mr Graham.

"For the first time, this proposal is asking CSPs to collect and create
information they would not have previously held and to go further in
conducting additional processing on that information.

"Evidence for this proposal must be available to demonstrate that such a step
change is necessary and proportionate." 





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