Interception Modernisation Programme
From DFEY
The Interception Modernisation Programme is a proposed system by which the information currently held by ISPs and Telecoms providers will be periodically transmitted to a centralised government database for ease and simplicity of access by multiple governmental departments. The IMP is a project spearheaded by the Home Office and publicly supported by the current Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith. Beginning January 2009 there will be a consultation period regarding the IMP in which there will be public debate about the proposed system; therefore, in the interests of the digital freedom of young people, if is important to keep an up to date page detailing the developments of the programme.
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[edit] What Data is Already Kept by Telecoms and ISPs?
[edit] What's Compulsary
Since the 1st October 2007, it has been required by the European Data Retention Directive that telecoms retain data about phone calls made from landlines and mobile phones; the data held in the UK must be held for 12 months and includes (The Legislation):
For both landline and mobile calls and texts:
- The phone number, name and address of the caller and recipient.
- The date and time at the beginning and end of the call.
For mobile calls and texts specifically:
- The unique IDs of the handsets and sim cards used by both the caller and recipient.
- The location of both callers.
- If either of the phones are pay-as-you-go then the date, time and location of where they were activated is also required to be kept.
The government has opted to not enforce the internet surveillance requirements just yet, but they must be enforced by 15th March 2009. Legislation
[edit] What's Optional
That was the easy information to find out; is it apparent from multiple news sources that the majority of ISPs in the UK partake in a voluntary agreement with the Home Office under Section 11 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act (2001); after hours of scouring the Home Office website it is possible to find this document: The Home Office Web Page, The Document. It is apparent that the document could be out of date (it's from 2003), however it is possible to see from it (Pages 13 and 14 - Appendix A) that there are a series of relatively vague and powerful requests for personal information; I suggest that you read it for yourself. However, it is notable that of the URLs logged, only the domain name seems to be allowed to be logged and certainly no GET data is acceptable in these logs; something that hasn't been banded around - some good news.
It is important to note that although this is optional, most major ISPs and Telecoms already take part and there is specific scope in the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act (2001) to turn this voluntary agreement into binding law.
[edit] External Links
Please try and keep the sources of these links as varied as possible to avoid the bias of just one news source.
