[Infowarrior] - UK government plans travel database

[Richard Forno]

  Government plans travel database

The government is compiling a database to track and store the  
international travel records of millions of Britons.

Computerised records of all 250 million journeys made by individuals  
in and out of the UK each year will be kept for up to 10 years.

The government says the database is essential in the fight against  
crime, illegal immigration and terrorism.

But opposition MPs and privacy campaigners fear it is a significant  
step towards a surveillance society.

The intelligence centre will store names, addresses, telephone  
numbers, seat reservations, travel itineraries and credit card details  
of travellers.

Big Brother

Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: "The government seems to be  
building databases to track more and more of our lives.

"The justification is always about security or personal protection.  
But the truth is that we have a government that just can't be trusted  
over these highly sensitive issues. We must not allow ourselves to  
become a Big Brother society."

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "This is  
another example of an intrusive database without any public debate  
about safeguards on its use.

"We are sleepwalking into a surveillance state and should remember  
that George Orwell's 1984 was a warning, not a blueprint."

A spokesman for campaign group NO2ID said: "When your travel plans,  
who you are travelling with, where you are going to and when are being  
recorded you have to ask yourself just how free is this country?"

The e-Borders scheme covers flights, ferries and rail journeys and the  
Home Office says similar schemes run in other countries including the  
US, Canada, Spain and Australia.

Minister of State for borders and immigration Phil Woolas said the  
government was determined to ensure the UK's border remained one of  
the toughest in the world.

"Our hi-tech electronic borders system will allow us to count all  
passengers in and out of the UK and [it] targets those who aren't  
willing to play by our rules," he said.

"Already e-Borders has screened over 75 million passengers against  
immigration, customs and police watch-lists, leading to over 2,700  
arrests for crimes such as murder, rape and assault."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/7877182.stm

Published: 2009/02/08 13:03:23 GMT

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