As a reminder, the governments Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), which is part of the wider Communications Data Bill, will see all YOUR email accesses and website visits (not content) monitored and stored for a period of one year. Many organisations, such as the NHS and Royal Mail could then be granted access to this data, not just the police.

The LINX Response – Selective Quotes:

“We do not believe sufficient information has been given to say with confidence whether we will support or oppose the Government approach. Following discussions with officials, we do not even have confidence that “a Government approach” even exists – it appears that even the basic conceptualisation of the Interception Modernisation Programme is in flux. We can identify numerous areas where important questions remain unanswered.”

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“Firstly, the government has not been clear about the range of communications data it proposes should be collected. The existing data retention regime is narrow, and at least attempts to be closely specified. These new proposals suggest an intention to capture anything and everything, regardless of the communications protocol used, or other aspects of the communication inhibiting this approach (the case study reference to a user chatting in a computer game certainly carries such an implication).”

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“Fourthly, as we have outlined above and discuss more fully below, we are not satisfied that the existing safeguards adequately protect the public, our members’ customers and end users, even with regard to the current regime let alone as they relate to the far more intrusive proposals under discussion. We would need to be satisfied that the safeguards proposed to be relied upon were adequate before we could support the government’s approach.”

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“Fifthly, we are concerned for the security of customer data collected once it is no longer under the exclusive control of the CSP. More particularly, we are concerned that the public have confidence in its security. It should go without saying that this is sensitive and valuable data that could do a great deal of harm in the wrong hands.”

Click here to download full response (MS Word .doc)

LINX concludes by saying that it cannot have confidence that any forthcoming legislation will support the public interest until the outlined issues have been satisfactorily resolved. In short, LINX appears to be in stiff opposition to the government’s plans; though whether the government will care enough to adjust its proposal is another matter.

The home secretary scrapped plans for a database but wants details to be held and organised for security services. The new system would track all e-mails, phone calls and internet use, including visits to social network sites. Announcing a consultation on a new strategy for communications data and its use in law enforcement, Jacqui Smith said there would be no single government-run database.

The Internet Services Providers Association (ISPA) has welcomed today’s consultation into Communications Data. The ISPA said it was committed to assisting law enforcement agencies in the investigation of serious crimes and threats to national security, and supports effective legal measures that combat terrorism.

Similarly people saw no value in adverts that had been targeted to them based on their web surfing behaviour, despite some systems claiming to enhance the surfing experience. Only 23.2% of respondents would not mind if non-personally identifiable information was collected if ads were better targeted:

The findings represent grim reading for Phorm, which works with UK ISPs to monitor what websites you visit for use in targeted advertising campaigns. The service has caused more than a few privacy fears, not least because of BT’s secret 2006 and 2007 trials, which were conducted without customers’ knowledge or consent.

There was a noted difference in the response of men and women with men more likely than women to say they would not mind the targeting of ads based on non-personally identifiable information, 26.7% versus 19.9%. Meanwhile 61.9% claimed to be aware of the tracking, collecting and sharing of information that occurs as a result of online activities.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said access to such data was key to fighting terrorism but with proper safeguards. Critics have said the idea poses a serious threat to civil liberties.

The database, which critics claim would cost up to £12bn, is not intended to record the content of communications, but only the details of internet sites visited and what emails and telephone calls have been made, to whom and at what times. Currently the information has to be requested from communications companies and internet service providers, but it is not always readily available.

On the issue of private sector involvement in the database, government sources said the consultation had not begun and it was premature to speculate on what it would contain and what the outcome would be.

As for the database itself, the home secretary said the UK had to adapt to technological changes if it wanted to get access to data necessary to fighting terrorism and organised crime effectively.

At Monday’s meeting in London representatives from BT, AOL Europe, O2 and BSkyB were given a presentation of the issues and the technology surrounding the Government’s Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), the name given by the Home Office to the database proposal.

They were told that the security and intelligence agencies wanted to use the stored data to help fight serious crime and terrorism.

Officials tried to reassure the industry by suggesting that many smaller ISPs would be unaffected by the “black boxes” as these would be installed upstream on the network and hinted that all costs would be met by the Government.

A Home Office spokesman said, “We have not made any final decisions on how communications data will be collected and no decision will be made until after the consultation process.

Original article from The Daily Telegraph.