From BBC NEWS
Net snooping laws in the UK are a mess, a government committee set up to look at the controversial legislation has been told.
The inquiry, led by the House of Common’s All Party Internet Group, has heard evidence from industry, law enforcers and the Home Office over the last two weeks.
The debate has revolved around plans to force telephone operators and internet service providers to store customer data for up to six years.
But police have admitted that the current legislation is illegal.
“The system is not compliant with the Human Rights Act,” Assistant Chief Constable of the National Crime Squad Jim Gamble told MPs.
Relationships between the Home Office and internet service providers (ISPs) have reached an all-time low over how to implement the data retention laws.
The legislation obliges internet companies to keep records of customers’ names and addresses, their e-mail activity and the websites they have visited.
But more than a year after the laws were passed, the government has still not worked out who will pay for the systems and how they will work.
The need to keep data became law after the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act was rushed through parliament following the terror attacks in the US last year.
“The government has only committed £20 million over three years to fund this project,” said Nicholas Lansman, Secretary General of the Internet Service Providers’ Association, (Ispa).
“Depending on the final code of practice, the costs could be half a million to £5 million for one ISP alone. What about all the others? Where’s the rest of the money going to come from?” he asked.
Law enforcement agencies already have access to data via existing laws and around 2,000 requests are made each week to internet and phone companies.
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act was to extend this snooping power to other public agencies.
Read the entire article here.
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