By silicon.com staff, 11 November 2009 11:29
NEWS
The UK government has confirmed it intends to push ahead with plans to monitor the UK's communications.
Under the Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), the government wants communications service providers to store details of all web communications, including emails and IMs conversations.
The government's decision to continue with the IMP was announced on Friday, following a consultation on the project.
The government will push ahead with web monitoring plans
(Photo credit: Paul Kehrer via Flickr under the following Creative Commons Licence)
For more on the outcome of the consultation, and the government's plans, see Gov't stands firm on web-monitoring plans on ZDNet UK.
Comments
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1. karen challinor
by using the strategic nuke of capturing and storing the electronic communications of every single person in the country to crack the shell of the tough little walnut problem of tracking and monitoring criminals communications in a digital age, the government has effectively simplified the system whereby an intercept required the consultation of a member of the legal profession at some stage prior to the intercept, like a judge
basically we are all assumed to be criminals and we will all be monitored as such
I suggest businesses use public key encryption routinely on any confidential email traffic
intercept data is stored at the ISP and we now have to worry about ISP personnel trawling through confidential emails, SMS messages, phone logs and so on in order to provide information to newspapers, wheelclampers and councils trying to find whose dog made the mess in the high street
but of course the government will impose hefty fines in such cases, which will of course make the problem go away, just like all the other times making something an offence has stopped it happening
and the government reckons this will cost £2Bn over 10 years
that is probably around a quarter of what they will pay when the project overruns
but we will pay much more as our ISP's and mobile operators hike up prices to pay for the extra equipment, security and training necessary to monitor the electronic communications of around 65 million people and retain that information for however long the government wants it retained for
all because they don't want to have to identify a criminal or terrorist and then issue a communications interception order this unworkable and expensive being more convenient
2. anonymous
When they do design Government IT systems, they completely mess them up - See NHS, Passport, Assorted MOD, Offender Management, Rural Payments etc........
I wouldn't worry, they'll never get it to work - I think they have been watching too much Spooks or 24 and believe the pop-science techno abilites of Ruth or Chloe !
If it does go ahead, and PM David Cameron doesn't junk it, watch out for a National Audit Office report in 5 years saying it is rubbish and they have flushed £10bn down the toilet.
3. anonymous
One wonders why this Government ever wastes public money on "Consultation". Most of the ISP's are saying it is not workable and will be ineffective. There has been no real cost impact/benefit analysis.
This will be more public money wasted to satisfy the Administration's hunger for power and control of the populace.
4. Jeremy Wickins
The more I hear about government plans, the more I'm convinced that they are deliberately trying to lose the next election!
5. Jane Dunne
So then, Brown stood on the site of the Berlin Wall only a few days ago to mark the anniversary of the end of an intrusive and spying state, the end of the Stasi, and yet what we have here is the proposed introduction of what appears to be much the same thing.
As he himself is reported to have said to the people of Berlin that day, "You knew that while force has the temporary power to dominate, it can never ultimately decide."
Mr Brown, are you determined to impose on us that which you claim to have been pleased to see removed in Germany?
6. askJacky,noaskPostmanPrat
Of course they are trying to lose the next election. Primarily because they haven't got a clue how to solve the problems with the economy (despite the self proclaimed financial acumen of our ex-Chancellor. G. Brown), or immigration or terrorism so they are extremely happy to pass the Poison Chalice of what was once known as Great Britain onto someone else.