When Labour ministers say ‘we’re listening’, this is what they really mean — and it’s frightening
Last week the Labour government revealed its plans to create a national cyber-database to hold details of every phone call, text, email and visit to the internet, as part of its plan to fight terrorism and crime. Internet service providers and telecoms companies will be required to give their records to the Home Office, where the data will be held for at least a year. Police and other security units will be allowed access if permission is granted by the courts. The government claims the proposal comes as part of plans to implement an EU directive developed after the 7 July bombings to bring uniformity of record-keeping among member states.
The proposal set alarm bells ringing for both human rights and security experts. The Information Commissioner Jonathan Bamford warned that the database was ‘a step too far’ and that the UK was in danger of ‘sleepwalking into a surveillance society’.
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