Communications and networking provider Entanet has today "raised concerns over the feasibility", security and cost of the UK governments plan to expand its existing internet snooping data retention laws to potentially cover more than just your basic email and website access logs.At present a voluntary code already requires Internet Service Providers (ISP) to maintain a basic log of their customers email and website accesses, but not the content of your communications, for a period of between 6 and 12 months.
The UK is still working to introduce this and may now even expand such powers under its controversial £2 Billion Communications Capabilities Development Programme (CCDP), which use to be called the Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP) before it was renamed as part of a new counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST).
Entanet’s Head of Marketing, Darren Farnden, said:
"The idea of the IMP/CCDP is to collect and store all electronic communications including emails, social networking sites, website browsing histories and phone calls to help the police and, more likely, GCHQ fight cybercrime and terrorism. The problem with the IMP/CCDP is not only the huge privacy issues that it throws up but also the immense technical challenges.
[We are concerned about] the feasibility of communications providers such as Entanet being required to collect and store this immense amount of data. We also raised concerns over the security of this data and how the government expects to protect it from potential hackers. Let’s face it, the Government doesn’t have the best track record in this area. We have had everything from lost laptops to website hacks in the past. Our views haven’t changed."
"The idea of the IMP/CCDP is to collect and store all electronic communications including emails, social networking sites, website browsing histories and phone calls to help the police and, more likely, GCHQ fight cybercrime and terrorism. The problem with the IMP/CCDP is not only the huge privacy issues that it throws up but also the immense technical challenges.
[We are concerned about] the feasibility of communications providers such as Entanet being required to collect and store this immense amount of data. We also raised concerns over the security of this data and how the government expects to protect it from potential hackers. Let’s face it, the Government doesn’t have the best track record in this area. We have had everything from lost laptops to website hacks in the past. Our views haven’t changed."
The move appears to run contrary to the coalition governments own May 2010 commitment to "end the storage of internet and email records without good reason". The European Commission (EC) has also begun to question related rules and at least one report has suggested that such measures could even be "illegal". None of this seems to concern the current UK government.
Home Office Position on Communications Data
The UK communications market is one of the most highly competitive and technologically driven in the world. This means we now have access to many new forms of internet based communications, such as social networking sites, online role-playing games and instant messaging.
Criminals use new technology to communicate with each other and to target their victims. The police need to keep up with modern communication methods to be able to investigate serious crime. This is essential in protecting public safety.
Much of our current capability is based on an era of fixed and mobile telephones and was not designed to deal with the growth in the use of the internet. With internet service providers often based abroad, and fewer communications being itemised for billing purposes, investigative capability is declining.
The Communications Capabilities Development programme was set up to look at how we can preserve communications capabilities to protect the public in the future, as internet-based communications technology becomes increasingly popular. We will legislate to ensure this is compatible with the government's approach to civil liberties and use of communications capabilities.
The UK communications market is one of the most highly competitive and technologically driven in the world. This means we now have access to many new forms of internet based communications, such as social networking sites, online role-playing games and instant messaging.
Criminals use new technology to communicate with each other and to target their victims. The police need to keep up with modern communication methods to be able to investigate serious crime. This is essential in protecting public safety.
Much of our current capability is based on an era of fixed and mobile telephones and was not designed to deal with the growth in the use of the internet. With internet service providers often based abroad, and fewer communications being itemised for billing purposes, investigative capability is declining.
The Communications Capabilities Development programme was set up to look at how we can preserve communications capabilities to protect the public in the future, as internet-based communications technology becomes increasingly popular. We will legislate to ensure this is compatible with the government's approach to civil liberties and use of communications capabilities.
Crucially the government claims that this new approach is "not about developing new, more intrusive powers", although few appear to see it that way. It's also important to stress that the government has yet to outline precisely what CCDP will mean for ISPs. The current documents contain no firm details, although new legislation is expected to be announced "in due course".
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Comments: 8
timelessPosted: 22 July, 2011 - 2:38 AM
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wonder if this was one of rupert murdochs ideas? would save him snooping on our phones, Cameron will just need to covertly hand him disks now.
seriously tho, l always thought the law stated "innocent until proven guilty".. however with recent experiences and now this it seems we are moving to a system where everyone is guilty regardless of innocence, and this is just a way to cash in on ACS:Laws business plan.
Carrot63Posted: 22 July, 2011 - 3:21 AM
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Presumably they're also going to announce soon that we all have to provide the government with a file copy of any encryption keys. Without it, filling this mountain of hard disks will be pointless.
"Never trust a tory" is as true as it ever was.
MarkJPosted: 22 July, 2011 - 6:50 AM
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Never trust a politician more like ;) , they're all the same when it comes to breaking promises.
CIderBabyPosted: 14 September, 2011 - 2:20 PM
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This is just another front to keep tabs on everyone in the country,
including the old and the sick, which I think is sick to do this to the majority of honest working people. I wonder if these ministers who are trying to push this draconian legislation through would also be willing to have ALL their private emails, texts, phone calls and internet surfing activities scrutinised and stored onto hard drives for further investigation by their own intelligence agencies? I'm sure they will be the first ones to whinge if they knew they were being spied on. Total and utter hypocrisy. One law for them and another for the rest of us. We don't live in a democracy anymore. Politicians do not like honest working people talking to each other, or congregating in groups or meetings. It is one of the reasons that pubs are shutting down due to economic difficulties. This is deliberate by authorities.
Mr.RealityPosted: 15 September, 2011 - 11:19 AM
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No matter what you say or do,
They will still be watching YOU !!!
Matthew HoggarthPosted: 15 September, 2011 - 12:53 PM
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This is a very worrying turn of events. i am no criminal but i still feel i have the right to privacey if i want it,
I am also fairly sure that if things like this were mentioned pre-election the party involved would have a very bare vote cupboard!
EOBPosted: 15 September, 2011 - 4:42 PM
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It sounds as if 1984 has come 17 years late. "Communications Capabilities Development Programme" is a wonderful piece of Newspeak, comparable with the "Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act" (i.e. the act that let investigators do things that would otherwise be illegal).
We should also be concerned about the economic harm this intrusion will do. Someone has to pay for the storage and management of the data, and this will raise the cost of doing business in the UK.
bilboPosted: 15 September, 2011 - 8:32 PM
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just another step towards Frank Zappa's concept of "total criminalization".
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