Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant'
19th July 2012, 14:01
Always good to know the government and police have got plans in place to store as much info about us as possible, that's not gonna be abused in any way.
The government's Communications Data Bill will effectively create a giant database of everyone in the UK's web activities, MPs and peers have heard.
The bill would force telecoms companies to store details of internet use for a year to help combat crime.
Home Secretary Theresa May has stressed that the data will not be held on a single government database.
But security experts told the cross-party committee examining the bill it would operate in a similar way.
The communications bill was published in draft form earlier this year and is being examined in detail by a committee of MPs and peers before it begins its passage into law.
The detailed scrutiny of the bill was promised amid controversy when the measures were first floated. Some modifications to the bill may be made as a result of the joint committee's recommendations.
The previous Labour government was forced to scrap plans for a single database of telecoms records in 2009 after a public outcry and criticism from the Conservatives and Lib Dems.
The coalition has insisted it does not want go down the same route.
But its plans to beef up data retention include a "request filter", which could allow police officers, tax inspectors, the security services and other officials to trawl for information across privately-owned databases in order to build up a picture of suspects' internet browsing habits, contacts and movements.
(More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18884460)
The government's Communications Data Bill will effectively create a giant database of everyone in the UK's web activities, MPs and peers have heard.
The bill would force telecoms companies to store details of internet use for a year to help combat crime.
Home Secretary Theresa May has stressed that the data will not be held on a single government database.
But security experts told the cross-party committee examining the bill it would operate in a similar way.
The communications bill was published in draft form earlier this year and is being examined in detail by a committee of MPs and peers before it begins its passage into law.
The detailed scrutiny of the bill was promised amid controversy when the measures were first floated. Some modifications to the bill may be made as a result of the joint committee's recommendations.
The previous Labour government was forced to scrap plans for a single database of telecoms records in 2009 after a public outcry and criticism from the Conservatives and Lib Dems.
The coalition has insisted it does not want go down the same route.
But its plans to beef up data retention include a "request filter", which could allow police officers, tax inspectors, the security services and other officials to trawl for information across privately-owned databases in order to build up a picture of suspects' internet browsing habits, contacts and movements.
(More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18884460)