fighting, but also other government bodies such as health authorities
and the Post Office.
By Matthew Sparkes
The Government will store "a billion incidents of data exchange a
day" as details of every text, email and browsing session in the UK are
recorded under new proposals published yesterday.
The information will be made available to police forces in order to
crack down on serious crime, but will also be accessible by local
councils, health authorities and even Ofsted and the Post Office.
One example of crime prevention using the data given in the
consultation document is that of the Child Exploitation and Online
Protection agency, which targets sexual abuse of children.
"The vast majority of CEOP's work is by resolution of IP addresses,
e-mail addresses and increasingly mobile phone numbers. During the
period March to June 2008 CEOP identified 96 suspects (who have been
arrested) and safeguarded 30 children through the use of internet
related data," explained the consultation document, which goes on to
explain that petty crime and even instances of self harm will be
tackled using the new measures.
Another example was given in which a UK citizen had been talking in
an internet chatroom about self-harming, when local police tracked down
his address via his IP number and ISP and intervened to save him.
However, the information will also be made available to local
councils, health authorities and other Government bodies such as Ofsted.
"The main reason for it is to assist in the investigation of crime,"
said a Home Office spokesperson. "Each local council can make a
decision for themselves on what is the most interest to them."
The move has attracted criticism from the Conservatives, however, including Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Home Secretary.
"Yet again the Government has proved itself unable to resist the
temptation to take a power quite properly designed to combat terrorism
to snoop on the lives of ordinary people in everyday circumstances."
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