Details of every email sent and website visited by people in Britain to be stored for atleast a year

You —

Internet records to be stored for a year

Details of every email sent and website visited by people in Britain are to be stored for use by the state from tomorrow as part of what campaigners claim is a massive assault on privacy.

A European Union directive, which Britain was instrumental in devising, comes into force which will require all internet service providers to retain information on email traffic, visits to web sites and telephone calls made over the internet, for 12 months.

Police and the security services will be able to access the information to combat crime and terrorism.

Hundreds of public bodies and quangos, including local councils, will also be able to access the data to investigate flytipping and other less serious crimes...

Read more @ The Telegraph

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You — Mon, 6 Apr 2009 - 13:52

Net firms start storing user data

Details of user e-mails, website visits and net phone calls will be stored by internet service providers (ISPs) from Monday under an EU directive.

The plans were drawn up in the wake of the London bombings in 2005.

ISPs and telecoms firms have resisted the proposals while some countries in the EU are contesting the directive.

Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group, said it was a "crazy directive" with potentially dangerous repercussions for citizens.

All ISPs in the European Union will have to store the records for a year. An EU directive which requires telecoms firms to hold on to telephone records for 12 months is already in force.

Read more @ BBC News

You — Tue, 7 Apr 2009 - 00:04

I had expected a bigger response on this topic. :s I have changed the title to be more sensationalist.

From the BBC link:

...The UK government has agreed to reimburse ISPs for the cost of retaining the data...

Our tax dollars being wisely spent...

Imaani — Tue, 7 Apr 2009 - 22:04

No I don't really think it's for our own good, it is violation and that's it basically. And it is very shocking indeed.

No need for ID cards really now is there... I think the government is just trying to achieve the same thing just via different methods.

It was sort of expected though, just as when mobile phones first became very popular and all our calls being traced etc. And I doubt this is completely brand new, it's just being made public knowledge now.

The technology and concept itself is a good thing and a sign of the times, but it's dangerous when there is little trust in the government and the police, and when their so called 'intelligence' in the past has been just oh so crap.

It is IMO very scary stuff, especially when 'fighting terrorism' is the reason behind it. I think we have good reason to be apprehensive. One might argue that if you have nothing to hide then there is nothing to worry about, but I disagree, innocent stuff may be twisted.

You — Thu, 9 Apr 2009 - 00:57

Thing is this will not be just used for "terrorism" related stuff - the info will be available to local councils via the RIPA regulations which were introduced to counter terrorism.

Problem is the councils have been using these powers a lot (I remember a figure of 10,000 times over I think the past couple of years) for things like flytipping, overfilling bins and also to see if parents were applying for places in better/different schools for their children!

Just imagine a local election where the current incumbents need some dirt to smear over their rivals. They will have an open book of information to use.

Not only is this a bad thing, things like RIPA and maybe even 28/42 day detention (what is it at now?) need to go.

You — Thu, 9 Apr 2009 - 18:17

Omrow, why are you always insinuating things?

Its more than having something to hide. There are simply things you do not wish to be public knowledge.

Otherwise people could go around with their sort code and account numbers tattooed on their foreheads. Wanna set a new precedent by being the first one?

I am also sure that there is an islamic principle that opening another person's letter/correspondence without permission is just like having that persons permission to fo to hell... Have historically (all and ever) Muslims had something to hide?

You — Thu, 9 Apr 2009 - 21:18

Nope. Its not a trial and chances are they will not be giving you a dossier of yourself after a year.

Add to this the proposals to monitor activities and holidays abroad of all UK residents it all adds up to a very spied upon state.

Imaani — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 - 23:59

[quote=You] Problem is the councils have been using these powers a lot (I remember a figure of 10,000 times over I think the past couple of years) for things like flytipping, overfilling bins and also to see if parents were applying for places in better/different schools for their children![/quote]

Oh my gosh, that is just so shocking.

This kind of info should only become available if someone is in the first place due to other evidence under suspicion or on trial. Not it just be available about everyone to anyone whenever they're bored and have nothing better to do.

This is just so silly, sneaky and biased.

And although it won't ever be just used for terrorism related stuff, that basis makes us primary targets of it.

Imaani — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 - 00:08

[quote=Omrow][quote=Imaani]Privacy.[/quote]

What do you mean?

Do you engage in some very unsavory things on the internet?

God !!

I hope your mum and dad dont see it.

[/quote]
I don't mind if they do, there's nothing unsavoury to see. Just don't think my business has got anything to do with anybody else.

You don't seem to be too worried though, alhamdulillah I guess.

🙂

You — Sun, 3 May 2009 - 22:11

Jacqui Smith's secret plan to carry on snooping

The home secretary has vowed to scrap a ‘big brother’ database, but a bid to spy on us all continues

SPY chiefs are pressing ahead with secret plans to monitor all internet use and telephone calls in Britain despite an announcement by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, of a ministerial climbdown over public surveillance.

GCHQ, the government’s eavesdropping centre, is developing classified technology to intercept and monitor all e-mails, website visits and social networking sessions in Britain. The agency will also be able to track telephone calls made over the internet, as well as all phone calls to land lines and mobiles.

The £1 billion snooping project — called Mastering the Internet (MTI) — will rely on thousands of “black box” probes being covertly inserted across online infrastructure.

The top-secret programme began to be implemented last year, but its existence has been inadvertently disclosed through a GCHQ job advertisement carried in the computer trade press.

Last week, in what appeared to be a concession to privacy campaigners, Smith announced that she was ditching controversial plans for a single “big brother” database to store centrally all communications data in Britain.

“The government recognised the privacy implications of the move [and] therefore does not propose to pursue this move,” she said.

Grabbing favourable headlines, Smith announced that up to £2 billion of public money would instead be spent helping private internet and telephone companies to retain information for up to 12 months in separate databases.

However, she failed to mention that substantial additional sums — amounting to more than £1 billion over three years — had already been allocated to GCHQ for its MTI programme.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said Smith’s announcement appeared to be a “smokescreen”...

Read more @ TimesOnline