www.theage.com.au/news/technology/big-brothers-vault-for-all-net-use-calls-and-emails/2008/05/20/1211182838534.htmlBig Brother's vault for all net use, calls and emails
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Paola Totaro
May 21, 2008
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A DIGITAL vault containing information about every email, internet visit and phone call made in Britain is to be created in a European bid to battle terrorism.
The plan, which will widen legislation governing the record-keeping responsibilities of telecommunications and internet companies, has alarmed civil libertarians who are already anxious about a proposed ID card scheme.
An estimated 3 billion emails and close to 60 billion text messages are sent throughout Britain every day, raising fears that the British Government will not be able to manage such a large store of information. A single database is also believed to be a far easier target for attack.
The Times in London has reported that Home Office officials have discussed the proposed national database plan with communications companies and that the legislation is to be outlined during the traditional November Queen's speech.
The Information Commissioner's Office has warned that Britain risks sleepwalking into a Big Brother society, while the Opposition argues the Government has a bad track record holding sensitive information and cannot be trusted. The plan comes in the wake of European Union demands for uniform record-keeping throughout Europe after the July 7, 2005, bombings in London.
Experts argue it is much simpler for police and counterterrorism specialists to retrieve information from a single source than to try to access hundreds of different companies.
