LSE claims government plans relating to broadband users unworkable

Plans that the UK government has made to try and log data about email and website usage by broadband users is ‘unworkable’ according to one group.

Many consumers have been concerned to hear about plans by the UK government to monitor and log email and website usage and access by broadband users in a bid to try and crack down on activities such as terrorism. The plans by the government involved storing details with regards to emails accessed by broadband users and websites visited by these users.

However, one group, the London School of Economics and Political Science, or LSE, has said that the plans by the government are ‘unworkable’ adding that whilst this process could help to reduce criminal and more importantly terrorist activity it would be something of a challenge for the government to justify to the public not only the personal intrusion on their internet usage but also the massive cost of two billion pounds over a ten year period.

The government programme is called the Interception Modernisation programme, and the information that is gathered in the government database is scheduled to be stored for around a year. The information collated on the database will be based on all broadband users rather than just those that are suspected of illegal or terrorist activity, and this is where concerns over invasion of personal space may become an issue with honest consumers that are just enjoying the benefits of broadband.

One LSE official said: “The Home Office are right to be concerned about the impact on investigations of the ways in which criminals and others may use the internet. However, they are wrong to think that this can be done by light tinkering with existing legislation. We are also concerned that the Home Office is characterising its aims as maintaining an interception capability when police powers and capabilities to watch the public have increased significantly over the last 15 years. We need a full debate about the balance between threats to public safety, police powers, the effectiveness of safeguards and cost.”

Source – http://blog.broadbandinternetuk.com