By Jon Bernstein, 15 June 2000 10:58
NEWS UK Home Secretary Jack Straw went on the offensive yesterday when he described costs associated with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Bill as "literally incredible". In a letter in today's Financial Times, Straw wrote: "The detailed calculations [in the British Chambers of Commerce report, which put potential ecommerce losses at £46bn] is riddled with flawed assumptions. "Contrary to its claims, there will be no need for 'black boxes at all Internet service providers sending traffic to GTAC'. The Government Technical Assistance Centre will handle material intercepted under warrant. It will not be used to access communications data." He added that the number of ISPs involved would be fewer than estimated in the report. According to the FT, the Home Secretary handed the letter to one of the newspaper's journalists at a press conference yesterday. He is quoted as telling the journalist: "I will wage my next year's salary and multiples of the circulation of the FT that the figures are wrong." The RIP, coined 'Snooping', Bill is currently at committee stage in the House of Lords.
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