Private firm will monitor all emails, calls and internet use

Written by Iain Thomson in San Francisco

vnunet.com, 03 Jan 2009

The government is planning to get a private company to run its proposed database of every call, text, email and web site visit.

In a proposal from Home Secretary Jacqui Smith the task of collecting and maintaining the records would be given to a private firm in order to reduce costs. The proposal also suggests tough legal penalties if the data is misused according to a report in The Guardian.

However, the proposals have come in from strong criticism, not least from Sir Ken Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions.

“This database would be an unimaginable hell-house of personal private information,” he said.

vnunet.com