Internet bill critics 'putting politics before lives'

[littlebuzz]

3 December 2012 Last updated at 07:45 ET

Theresa May says internet bill critics 'putting politics before lives'

Home Secretary Theresa May has warned that those opposing plans to let police monitor all internet use are "putting politics before people's lives".

The draft Communications Data Bill would mean internet providers having to retain records of all their customers' online activity for 12 months.

Mrs May told The Sun the powers would help police tackle serious organised crime, paedophiles, and terrorists.

Critics call it a "snoopers' charter" bill which infringes civil liberties.

At the moment, the police and intelligence services can get access to information about people's mobile phone use.

The bill would extend those powers to cover email and the internet. The authorities would be able to see details of who communicated with whom, and when and where, but they would not be able to see the content of the message.

Police, the security services, the new National Crime Agency and HM Revenue and Customs would be able to access the data, but the draft Communications Data Bill also gives the Home Secretary the power to extend access to others, such as the UK Border Agency.

You can be pretty well certain they will be logging the content of those emails/messages. The interface may not allow the end user to see that content. But its being downloaded and stored... just in case

[dad61]

They already do it, they just want to make it legit

[Vladimir]

Does no one see the obvious ironing here?

[littlebuzz]

Back in the late 80's I worked in the IT department at a courthouse. When a record was expunged we would get an order to delete the file. And to comply with that order we removed the file from the data accessible to the users (ie. police officers, judges, attorneys, court clerks, etc.).

But we didn't actually delete the file.