Internet firms resist ministers’ plan to spy on every e-mail
Posted by: Dedicated Servers in Uncategorized, tags: Big Brother, Capability, Carphone Warehouse, Citizenry, Civil Liberties Groups, E Mail, Government Security, Hostility, Internet Firms, Internet Use, London Internet Exchange, Mail Internet, Mail Phone, Monitoring Internet, Opposition Mps, Phone Call, Proposals, Security Officials, Source Times, Unwarranted IntrusionInternet firms have condemned the government’s “Big Brother” surveillance plans as an “unwarranted” intrusion into people’s privacy. The companies, which ministers are relying on to implement the scheme, also say the government has misled the public about how far it plans to go in monitoring internet use. The criticism, contained in a private submission to the Home Office, threatens to derail the £2 billion project, which ministers claim is essential to combat terrorism and crime.
Despite hostility from opposition MPs and civil liberties groups, government security officials want to be able to monitor every e-mail, phone call and website visit of people in the UK. However, the submission — by the London Internet Exchange, which represents more than 330 firms including BT, Virgin and Carphone Warehouse — said: “We view the description of the government’s proposals as ‘maintaining’ the capability as disingenuous: the volume of data the government now proposes [we] should collect and retain will be unprecedented, as is the overall level of intrusion into the privacy of citizenry.
Source: Times Online
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