Home Secretary Theresa May has insisted that the government “will not be giving powers to go through people’s browsing history”, and says the law will contain safeguards against abuse.
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United Kingdom government sources said it would be “unlawful for councils to access communications data for trivial matters” under provisions included in the draft bill.
“Some have characterised this power as law enforcement having access to people’s full web browsing histories”.
This may seem new, however, governments have been using the ironically named Telecommunications Act 1984 to intercept and access data from communications companies, including bulk records of telephone calls, since 2001.
It was also confirmed that the legislation will contain a requirement for internet companies to retain internet connection records for a maximum period of 12 months.
Security services and authorities will be able to access that data – which will include all the sites a person visits, but not the individual pages within that website – without a warrant.
“So communications data – not the content of the call, that’s governed separately – but the “who called who and when”, we do need to make sure that we can follow that online as well as through a telephone call”. “Communications technologies that cross communications platforms and global borders increasingly allow those who would do us harm the opportunity to evade detection”, Rt Hon Theresa May MP said in the report. Civil liberties campaigners counter that the bill will pave the way for mass surveillance of United Kingdom citizens.
His comments came as the Cabinet was briefed about the Investigatory Powers Bill covering the tools available to police and intelligence agencies to fight terrorism and serious crime in the digital age.
For more intrusive surveillance – involving the detailed content of the communications – security services need to obtain a warrant.
“It doesn’t have a few of the more contentious powers that were in that (2012) bill”, she noted.
To approve a warrant, both the Home Secretary and the panel would be required to decide whether the actions proposed were necessary, targeted and proportionate.
The Guardian reported that May would try to strengthen the oversight regime by replacing the current system of three commissioners with a single “investigatory powers commissioner” – a senior judge appointed by the prime minister.
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Intelligence officers and authorities will have to get permission from their superiors to gain access to this data that is fundamental.
