15 August 2008
Opposition parties have criticised government plans to allow local authorities to monitor email and broadband traffic. A Home Office consultation paper proposes that internet service providers be required to store information on domestic broadband use for 12 months. ISPs already store such data voluntarily, but the plans are designed to facilitate investigations into serious and organised crime, would make it mandatory. "This data is a vital tool to investigations and intelligence-gathering in support of national security and crime," said a Home Office spokesman. But the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives insist the powers would be used by local authorities to spy on ordinary citizens. Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne branded the proposed law a "snoopers' charter". Meanwhile, a Home Office spokeswoman has admitted that the measures are likely to help catch organised criminals who will find ways of hiding their web browsing activity.
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