But she refused to say whether judges would have to sign-off a second warrant for the most intrusive aspects of spy investigations – namely reading the content of emails and social media messages – suggesting politicians would have the final say.
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However, The Telegraph understands that a total of 38 bodies will also be entitled to access the database for the goal of “detecting or preventing crime”.
The Investigatory Powers Bill is similar to the powers in the shelved Snooper’s Charter in that it would require companies to retain phone and email data.
Ministers are also planning to introduce a new offence to deter the abuse of powers which will result in significant fines.
“I think it will be world leading oversight arrangements within the Bill”.
Mr Burnham said he had “outlined” his approach to party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
David Cameron has called for public support for new laws that bolster the online powers of police and intelligence agencies.
Earlier parliamentary debates on the impending United Kingdom Investigatory Powers bill have included MPs asking the Home Secretary, Theresa May, whether the government will be adopting specific independent recommendations – such as from the Anderson report – that judicial sign off be required for intercept warrants, rather than allowing senior ministers to grant warrants as is the case now.
Lord Ashdown said it “looks to me as though it’s going toward the right direction”.
“So, for example, we won’t be requiring communications service providers from the United Kingdom to store third party data, we won’t be making the same requirements in relation to data retention on overseas CSPs and crucially…we will not be giving powers to go through people’s browsing history, that is not what the Investigatory Powers Bill is about”.
JUDGES will be given the power to veto surveillance requests by Britain’s intelligence agencies after a dramatic concession by the government.
But other bodies including the Financial Conduct Authority, HMRC, councils, the Health and Safety Executive and the Department for Work and Pensions will be able to access the database.
“Encryption is important for people to be able to keep themselves safe when they are dealing with these modern communications in the digital age but what we will be doing is setting out the current position, which does enable the authorities with proper authorisation to issue warrants”, Mrs May told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show.
“So, what we’re talking about is just knowing that first step, that who has been contacted [by whom] or did this particular device access WhatsApp at 13.10 or Facebook at 14.05 – it doesn’t go beyond that”. We blocked the snooper’s charter in government and would strongly resist any attempt to bring it back.
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The police say they’re after web browsing histories because traditional means of surveillance are outmoded and not up to the task of keeping up with the online activities of terrorists, paedophiles and criminal gangs.
