A private firm will be asked to manage a database of all UK communications traffic, according to a consultation paper to be published shortly by the Home Secretary.

Despite assurances that laws will be tightened to minimise losses and accidental leaks of private information, Sir Ken Macdonald, former Director of Public Prosecutions said,

“Authorisations for access might be written into statute. The most senior ministers and officials might be designated as scrutineers. But none of this means anything.

“All history tells us that reassurances like these are worthless in the long run. In the first security crisis the locks would loosen.”

 

From the Guardian:

“Until now most communications traffic data has been held by phone companies and internet service providers for billing purposes but the growth of broadband phone services, chatrooms and anonymous online identities mean that is no longer the case.

“The Home Office’s interception modernisation programme, which is working on the superdatabase proposal, argues that it is no longer good enough for communications companies to be left to retrieve such data when requested by the police and intelligence services. A Home Office spokeswoman said last night the changes were needed so law enforcement agencies could maintain their ability to tackle serious crime and terrorism.”