By Sally Watson, 29 June 1999 16:11
NEWS Free speech organisation, Internet Freedom, has attacked the UK government's proposals to intercept Internet communications. The consultation paper, unveiled last week by Home Secretary, Jack Straw, outlines plans to make Internet service providers responsible for ensuring all electronic communications are available for police scrutiny. According to a statement on the Internet Freedom Web site, the proposals represent "a substantial attack on the liberties of Internet users". Chris Ellison, founder of the group, told Silicon.com: "The Internet has provided people with a new freedom. That should be maintained. No government has a right to snoop on its citizens." Internet Freedom claims that giving law enforcement agencies access to emails and Web logs is an invasion of privacy. "I'd like to see it [the proposals] scrapped," said Ellison. "Communications between private individuals should be private. We have to find other ways to intercept criminal activity." The group says it will now wait and see what happens during the consultation period which ends on 13 August, but Ellison admitted it is unlikely the plans will be dropped. "The practise has already been established informally, so it will be very difficult to stop," he said. For more information see http://www.netfreedom.org or Silicon.com's original story at http://www.silicon.com/a31100
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