[Infowarrior] - Social network sites 'monitored'

[Richard Forno]

  Social network sites 'monitored'

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7962631.stm?ad=1

Social networking sites like Facebook could be monitored by the UK  
government under proposals to make them keep details of users' contacts.

The Home Office said it was needed to tackle crime gangs and  
terrorists who might use the sites, but said it would not keep the  
content of conversations.

It is part of a plan to store details of all phone calls, e-mails and  
websites visited on a central database.

Civil liberties campaigners have called the proposals a "snoopers'  
charter".

Tens of millions of people use sites like Facebook, Bebo and MySpace  
to chat with friends, but ministers say they have no interest in the  
content of discussions - just who people have been talking to.

'Overkill'

Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said the websites contained sensitive  
personal details and he was concerned information could leak from any  
government-controlled database.

The Independent newspaper quoted him as saying similar plans to store  
phone and email records threatened to be the "most expensive snooper's  
charter in history".

"It is deeply worrying that they now intend to monitor social  
networking sites which contain very sensitive data like sexual  
orientation, religious beliefs and political views," he said.

The newspaper also reported that Chris Kelly, Facebook's chief privacy  
officer, was considering lobbying ministers over the proposal, which  
he described as "overkill".
“ It is right to point out the difficulty of ensuring that we maintain  
a capability to deal with crime and national security... where that  
butts up against issues of privacy ”
Vernon Coaker, Home Office

Phone companies are already required to store details of all calls,  
such as the time and date, location and who made them, for 12 months  
for possible use in criminal investigations or court cases.

An EU directive ordering data on internet traffic to be stored in a  
similar way is due to come into effect in the UK on Monday, 6 April.

The government is also considering proposals to store all  
communications data on a single database, which may be run by a  
private company.

It has delayed legislation on the move amid concerns about civil  
liberties and is due to launch a consultation on the plan "shortly",  
which will set out privacy safeguards.

The Home Office claims the new database is necessary to allow police  
and security services "keep up with technological advances" and that  
billing information is already stored by telecoms companies.

A spokesman said: "The government has no interest in the content of  
people's social network sites and this is not going to be part of our  
upcoming consultation.

"We have been clear that the communications revolution has been rapid  
in this country and the way in which we collect communications data  
needs to change, so that law enforcement agencies can maintain their  
ability to tackle terrorism and gather evidence."

'Browsing habits'

Shami Chakrabarti, of campaign group Liberty, said she would be  
"flabbergasted" if the the police and security services were not  
monitoring social networking sites already and it was "permissible" on  
human rights grounds to examine the profile of suspects.

But what she said was unacceptable was the government storing all  
communications data centrally, which she said would allow them to  
monitor the web browsing habits of ordinary citizens.

"With websites, as opposed to traditional phone calls and e-mails and  
so on, the difference between what the website you're visiting and  
what you're doing there, is really blurred.

"I mean just by my web browsing habits, just by which sites I'm  
visiting, you'll be able to build up... a pretty detailed picture of  
who I'm associated with, perhaps what my politics is, what my  
religious preference is and shopping habits are.

"It's a pretty detailed bit of surveillance about a person, about all  
individual people, most of whom, let's be clear about it, are  
completely innocent."

'Difficult area'

She added: "That's the difference between being a suspect and just an  
ordinary citizen, being part of the mainstream population and going  
about your business in a normal way."

Details of the social website proposals were disclosed by Home Office  
minister Vernon Coaker earlier this month, at a Commons committee to  
examine draft EU directives.

He said that the government was considering acting on social  
networking sites because they were not covered by the latest proposals  
from Brussels.

Mr Coaker acknowledged that the plan would raise fresh concerns about  
the right to privacy, saying he accepted it was an "extremely  
difficult area".

"It is absolutely right to point out the difficulty of ensuring that  
we maintain a capability and a capacity to deal with crime and issues  
of national security, and where that butts up against issues of  
privacy," he said.

The Cabinet Office already monitors popular social network sites such  
as Facebook, Netmums, Fixmystreet and Mumsnet to see what users are  
saying about public services.

Your comments:

That's just what we need. The government having access to all this  
information. They have proven with alarming consistency that they  
cannot be trusted with sensitive information. Who knows whose hands  
these data will end up in when some bright spark leaves a hard drive  
on a train. Dave, Liverpool

That the government is considering encroaching even further into  
people's private lives is horrifying, although hardly surprising. The  
move is yet another indicator of the government's seeming desire to  
spy on its own people, and the idea that criminal gangs would  
barefacedly announce what they're doing on a social networking site is  
somewhat unbelievable. It would definitely make me think twice before  
joining. Harry, Nottingham, UK

I've got nothing to hide - go ahead! And if you do have highly  
personal information about yourself that you would like kept sectret,  
why is it on a social networking site in the first place? They are not  
secure. Amy Baker, Adelaide, Australia (but English)

Any terrorist or criminal that currently uses social networking sites  
to plan their crimes (a scenario I find highly unlikely) will just  
stop using it. This will leave the innocent users under surveillance  
for no justifiable reason. The government is obsessed with monitoring  
and controlling the population. General Election soon, please Mark,  
Nottingham

I work for the Police and I for one think this is a fantastic idea  
along with every other scheme that is or is threatened to be brought  
in ot fight this insidiuos and invisible fight against terrorism. I  
can't wait to change my title from Constable to Stasi Robert Pangborn,  
Surrey

Ah, the inexorable rise of the security services. Ask a security  
expert what's needed and, guess what, their recommendation is 'more  
security'. How many people were killed by terrorists in the UK last  
year? Or the year before? Every loss of freedom is a massive victory  
for the enemy. The biggest threat to our way of life is actually our  
government and its agencies, scaring us into compliance and acceptance  
of hitherto unimaginable invasions of privacy. People, wake up. Robert  
Simmons, Dorking, Surrey

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Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7962631.stm

Published: 2009/03/25 11:17:13 GMT

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