Under Government plans to monitor internet traffic, raw data would be collected and stored by the black boxes before being transferred to a giant central database.
The vision was outlined at a meeting between officials from the Home Office and Internet Service Providers earlier this week.
It is further evidence of the Government's desire to have the capability to vet every telephone call, email and internet visit made in the UK, which has already provoked an outcry.
Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, has described it as a "step too far".
The proposal is expected to be put out to consultation as part of the new Communications Data Bill early next year.
At Monday's meeting in London representatives from BT, AOL Europe, O2 and BSkyB were given a presentation of the issues and the technology surrounding the Government's Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), the name given by the Home Office to the database proposal.
They were told that the security and intelligence agencies wanted to use the stored data to help fight serious crime and terrorism.
Officials tried to reassure the industry by suggesting that many smaller ISPs would be unaffected by the "black boxes" as these would be installed upstream on the network and hinted that all costs would be met by the Government.
One delegate at the meeting told the Independent: "They said they only wanted to return to a position they were in before the emergence of internet communication, when they were able to monitor all correspondence with a police suspect. The difference here is they will be in a much better position to spy on many more people on the basis of their internet behaviour. Also there's a grey area between what is content and what is traffic. Is what is said in a chat room content or just traffic?"
Ministers have said plans for the database have not been confirmed, and that it is not their intention to introduce monitoring or storage equipment that will check or hold the content of emails or phonecalls on the traffic.
A spokesman for the Home Office said: "We are public about the IMP, but we are still working out the detail. There will a consultation on the Communications Data Bill early next year."
News source: Source
The vision was outlined at a meeting between officials from the Home Office and Internet Service Providers earlier this week.
It is further evidence of the Government's desire to have the capability to vet every telephone call, email and internet visit made in the UK, which has already provoked an outcry.
Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, has described it as a "step too far".
The proposal is expected to be put out to consultation as part of the new Communications Data Bill early next year.
At Monday's meeting in London representatives from BT, AOL Europe, O2 and BSkyB were given a presentation of the issues and the technology surrounding the Government's Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), the name given by the Home Office to the database proposal.
They were told that the security and intelligence agencies wanted to use the stored data to help fight serious crime and terrorism.
Officials tried to reassure the industry by suggesting that many smaller ISPs would be unaffected by the "black boxes" as these would be installed upstream on the network and hinted that all costs would be met by the Government.
One delegate at the meeting told the Independent: "They said they only wanted to return to a position they were in before the emergence of internet communication, when they were able to monitor all correspondence with a police suspect. The difference here is they will be in a much better position to spy on many more people on the basis of their internet behaviour. Also there's a grey area between what is content and what is traffic. Is what is said in a chat room content or just traffic?"
Ministers have said plans for the database have not been confirmed, and that it is not their intention to introduce monitoring or storage equipment that will check or hold the content of emails or phonecalls on the traffic.
A spokesman for the Home Office said: "We are public about the IMP, but we are still working out the detail. There will a consultation on the Communications Data Bill early next year."
News source: Source
You have my sympathies.
They will also allow people to visit your home to take an inventry of all your personal belongings to judge if you
should pay more council tax or not. That also goes with the nice view being taxed.
They will also put a levy on people that collect rain water from their gutters and storage containers and use them
to water their plants.
They are also going to put a levy on those that grow their own food in their garden.
I bet when Jackie Spliff, oops Smith was in her public school six form she was outraged by segregation,
holding political prisoners for more than a week and she felt even more outraged that the rich are getting richer
and the poor..poorer.
I bet she got even more broiled when at Cambridge.
Ohh well proves a point, this government cannot do their job correctly in protecting us from extremists and
keep us safe from a foreign invasion, they are going to tar us all with the same brush.
I am on the plane in 4 years hopefully, so good riddance to cesspit Britain.
Ditto, granted, there's alot worse places than Britain, but as soon as I'm done with Uni I really want to get out of here.
QFT, I want out of here as well.
They can't even transfer data from one place to another without jeperdising the identity of millions
We as the people should not really stand for this. All this money being pumped in to create these uberdatabases because of a very small minority of people who may be terrorists or a threat to national security.
Once it is place it will be hard to get rid of it and before you know it they will be selling the information to online advertising companies, Tesco's or whoever will pay for it.
I think this is a 'step to far' and a very slippery slop. Whats wrong with tapping people you actually suspect of a crime? Are we not innocent until proven guilty in this country? Or guilty until you can prove you are innocent?
Rant over
I am trying to remember the exact quote but I believe it was " The person who trades a little freedom for security does not deserve that freedom to begin with"
Unless you invent your own language, they'll be able to translate it. Hell, you could speak Klingon and they'd know every word you uttered.
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