Email tracking plans criticised

A database of every email sent in the UK would not be safe in the hands of the government, human rights campaigners have said.

New laws, which will come into effect in March 2009 mean that ISPs will be forged to keep a record of every email sent or received in the UK.
The Home Office insists that this is a new measure vital for fighting cybercrime and terrorism but Liberty, the human rights advocacy group, says this is an attack on civil liberties as well as a waste of money.

“The government is alredy mooting plans to create a central government database where they hold all the information.” said Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty.
Stored data will include enough information to track down where and when messages were sent but does not include the contents of emails.

Recently the Home Office approved new powers for the police that allows them to hack into computers without having to apply for a court order.

More information can be found at www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk.

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