By Polly Raymond, 16 June 2000 12:47
NEWS The Home Office has defended the RIP Bill after Trade Secretary Stephen Byers raised concerns about its potential to damage business in the UK. The Home Office's response to the controversial Bill comes in the form of nine separate documents covering a range of issues that have been raised by civil liberty groups, ISP and business groups. One of the testimonies is a direct response to the BCC's paper outlining its concerns. Others are responses to attacks on the Bill based on draconianism of the government and the costs that may be incurred by the ISP community to handle the monitoring of Internet communications. Controversy continues over the Bill, which contains legislation giving law enforcement agencies powers to intercept Internet communications when the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) raised its own concerns last week. Stephen Byers has reportedly started lobbying the Home Office representing the DTI's concerns and yesterday, signalled in parliament that he hopes the Bill can still be modified. The full documentation can be viewed at the Home Office's RIP Web site http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/oicd/ripbill.htm .
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