Ministers say terrorists and other criminals are using free websites as a way of concealing their communications
[guardian.co.uk] The
government is drawing up plans to give the police and security and
intelligence agencies new powers to access personal data held by
internet services, including social network sites such as Facebook and
Bebo and gaming networks.
The move, heralded in this morning’s
speech on international terrorism by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary,
is prompted by concern that criminals and terrorists are using websites
as a way of concealing their communications, according to Whitehall
security sources.
At present, security and intelligence agencies
can demand to see telephone and email traffic from traditional
communications services providers (CSPs), which store the personal data
for business purposes such as billing.
The rapid expansion of new
CSPs – such as gaming, social networking, auction and video sites – and
technologies such as wireless internet and broadband present a serious
problem for the police, MI5, customs and other government agencies, the
security sources say.
Sites such as Bebo and Facebook provide
their services free, relying mainly on advertising for income. They do
not hold records of their customers, many of whom in any case use
pseudonyms.
"Criminals could use a chat facility – they are not
actually playing the game but we can’t actually get hold of the data,"
said one official.
"Criminal terrorists are exploiting free
social networking sites," said another Whitehall security official, who
added that the problem was compounded by the increasing use of data
rather than voice in communications.
"People have many accounts
and sign up as Mickey Mouse and no one knows who they are," he said.
"We have to do something. We need to collect data CSPs do not hold."
Whitehall
officials say that with the help of GCHQ – the electronic eavesdropping
centre with a huge information storage capacity – the government is
looking at different options that will be put out for consultation.
They declined today to spell out the options but said that whatever is
decided will need new legislation.
Despite this reticence, it is
clear that the government wants to be able to demand that the new
generation of CSPs collect data from their customers so the security
services can access them.
The response from the networks is likely to be hostile, not least because of the potential costs involved.
If
the government, as expected, offers to pay for any new data access
scheme, it is likely to cost taxpayers billions of pounds.
The plan will need international cooperation since many of the new CSPs are based abroad, notably in the US.
Government
officials insist that what they call the interception modernisation
programme, or IMP, is important since access to communications data is
a crucial tool in combating crime such as paedophilia, kidnapping and
drug trafficking.
They say the planned new legislation would
apply only to communications data – such addresses and names – but not
to the actual contents of the communications. Intercepting the contents
would still need ministerial warrants. Access to communications data
would be available, as now, to senior police, local council officers
and other public bodies.
Clearly concerned about a public
backlash against the plan, officials stress that the government is not
building up a single central database containing personal information
of everyone in the country.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/oct/15/terrorism-security
