UK to Announce New Web and Email Monitoring Law 'Soon'
New legislation expected to be announced next month.
New, as-yet-unannounced legislation from the UK's GCHQ intelligence agency will supposedly see the government monitor citizens' internet and email use. The Telegraph cites the Sunday Times in reporting that under the new law, ISPs will be required to install hardware that gives the Government Communications Headquarters on-demand, real time access to electronic communications data. This includes email, web browsing, text messaging and phone calls.
The law is intended to aid investigations into 'serious crime and terrorism' and a spokesperson for the Home Office is quoted as saying a warrant would be required to access the content of such communications data. As such, this data would include details such as time, duration of calls, and email addresses used, but no content.
"Communications data includes time, duration and dialing numbers of a phone call, or an email address. It does not include the content of any phone call or email and it is not the intention of Government to make changes to the existing legal basis for the interception of communications," the spokesperson said.
It's thought that the new law will be announced in next month's Queen's Speech and the Telegraph reports that the Home Office has confirmed ministers' intentions to legislate "as soon as parliamentary time allows." A similar law was planned in 2006 but failed following huge opposition.
Further Reading
The Telegraph: Internet activity 'to be monitored' under new laws

This is horrible!! As bad as the Patriot Act is, it doesn't require ISPs to install Govt hardware. This sounds more like what they do in the middle east and China, where the govt then has control to shut down communications completely.
But it will soon come to the US... and we will be told it is 'for our own good'
What is with governments and their rampant desire to rule the internet these days?
Uh, probably because the majority of people on EARTH spend most of their lives on it.
It is already here, if you don't believe it you are kidding yourself and should wake up.
It is ironic that the people who want to be controlled, like you, are in favor of controlling others. Hypocrite much? How about the gov't stay away from the internet, because if you don't think that they will abuse the power and ultimately shut down what they dislike you are a fool.
Fact is that this, and all the other laws, don't actually stop terrorism. We already have the means to monitor terrorists within the confines of the law, this is just a way around those laws.
Meanwhile, back in the real world.... All the tools that a smart criminal would use to circumvent the supposed government monitoring, are already out there, for free.....
So what does this end up doing?
It gets the dumb criminals at first, then it becomes a great civilian oppression tool......... while the criminals that this was originally intended to catch get away.....
Then tomorrow they'll slip in an addendum to include the contents.
If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear.
If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear.
Me, I'll continue using encryption for anything important or even slightly embarrassing.
Can't you see governments in almost every country make massive efforts to spy people, to invade people's privacy? under the mask of "terrorism prevention", of course.
there are no good intentions in this, we have to expect of the worst and also we need to fight for our rights.