Rights groups attack Britain's snooping plans

UK: Rights groups on Sunday slammed British government plans to expand its powers to monitor email exchanges and website visits. Under the new legislation, internet companies would be instructed to install hardware to allow the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) -- Britain's electronic "listening" agency" -- to go through "on demand" every text message and email sent, websites accessed and phone calls made "in real time, the Sunday Times reported. The plans are expected to be unveiled next month.

Nick Pickles, director of the Big Brother Watch campaign group, called the plans "an unprecedented step that will see Britain adopt the same kind of surveillance seen in China and Iran".

Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil liberties group Liberty, denounced the move as "a pretty drastic step in a democracy."

The Home Office interior ministry said ministers were preparing to legislate "as soon as parliamentary time allows" but said the data to be monitored would not include content.

"It is vital that police and security services are able to obtain communications data in certain circumstances to investigate serious crime and terrorism and to protect the public," a spokesman said. "We need to take action to maintain the continued availability of communications data as technology changes. "Communications data includes time, duration and dialling numbers of a phone call, or an email address.

AFP