[Infowarrior] - UK plans ‘Big Brother’ database for phones and e-mails

[Richard Forno]

May 20, 2008
‘Big Brother’ database for phones and e-mails
Men talking on mobile phones
Richard Ford
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article3965033.ece

A massive government database holding details of every phone call, e- 
mail and time spent on the internet by the public is being planned as  
part of the fight against crime and terrorism. Internet service  
providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies would hand over the records to  
the Home Office under plans put forward by officials.

The information would be held for at least 12 months and the police  
and security services would be able to access it if given permission  
from the courts.

The proposal will raise further alarm about a “Big Brother” society,  
as it follows plans for vast databases for the ID cards scheme and NHS  
patients. There will also be concern about the ability of the  
Government to manage a system holding billions of records. About 57  
billion text messages were sent in Britain last year, while an  
estimated 3 billion e-mails are sent every day.

Home Office officials have discussed the option of the national  
database with telecommunications companies and ISPs as part of  
preparations for a data communications Bill to be in November’s  
Queen’s Speech. But the plan has not been sent to ministers yet.

Industry sources gave warning that a single database would be at  
greater risk of attack and abuse.

Jonathan Bamford, the assistant Information Commissioner, said: “This  
would give us serious concerns and may well be a step too far. We are  
not aware of any justification for the State to hold every UK  
citizen’s phone and internet records. We have real doubts that such a  
measure can be justified, or is proportionate or desirable. We have  
warned before that we are sleepwalking into a surveillance society.  
Holding large collections of data is always risky - the more data that  
is collected and stored, the bigger the problem when the data is lost,  
traded or stolen.”

David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Given [ministers’]  
appalling record at maintaining the integrity of databases holding  
people’s sensitive data, this could well be more of a threat to our  
security, than a support.”

The proposal has emerged as part of plans to implement an EU directive  
developed after the July 7 bombings to bring uniformity of record- 
keeping. Since last October telecoms companies have been required to  
keep records of phone calls and text messages for 12 months. That  
requirement is to be extended to internet, e-mail and voice-over- 
internet use and included in a Communications Data Bill.

Police and the security services can access the records with a warrant  
issued by the courts. Rather than individual companies holding the  
information, Home Office officials are suggesting the records be  
handed over to the Government and stored on a huge database.

One of the arguments being put forward in favour of the plan is that  
it would make it simpler and swifter for law enforcement agencies to  
retrieve the information instead of having to approach hundreds of  
service providers. Opponents say that the scope for abuse will be  
greater if the records are held on one database.

A Home Office spokesman said the Bill was needed to reflect changes in  
communication that would “increasingly undermine our current  
capabilities to obtain communications data and use it to protect the  
public”.