英政府擬建龐大通訊數據庫
Britain is considering a massive government database to store the e-mails, Internet information, phone-calls and text messages of all residents to help security forces in the fight against crime and terrorism.
At the moment, records of phone-calls and text messages are kept up to 12 months by telecoms companies in compliance with an EU anti-terrorism directive.
But a new Home Office (Interior Ministry) proposal would see Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies handing over records containing billions of e-mails as well as Internet usage and voice-over-Internet calls, media reports said on Tuesday.
Police and security services would be able to have access to the information after seeking permission from the courts.
The Home Office said communication methods had changed rapidly during the past 15 years.
"The changes to the way we communicate, due particularly to the Internet revolution, will increasingly undermine our current capabilities to obtain communications data and use it to protect the public," it said in a statement.
"To ensure that our public authorities and law enforcement agencies can continue to use this valuable tool, the government is planning to bring forward the Communications Data Bill."
The draft bill is expected to be released later in the year, but the plan has yet to be discussed by ministers.
It is likely to raise concerns about civil liberties and data protection.
About 57 billion text messages were sent in Britain last year, while an estimated three billion e-mails are sent every day, The Times reported.
The government is already planning huge databases for the ID cards schemes and NHS patients' records.
英國政府目前正考慮建立一個儲存所有國民電子郵件、互聯網信息、電話記錄及短信的龐大數據庫，以幫助安全部門打擊犯罪和恐怖主義。
根據歐盟一項反恐指令的要求，目前英國的通訊公司需保存12個月的電話和短信記錄。
但據媒體本週二消息，根據英國內政部的一項最新提案，（除上述資料外，）互聯網服務提供商（ISPs）和電訊公司以後還需提供數十億電子郵件、互聯網使用信息及網絡電話記錄等數據資料。
警方和安全部門獲得法庭批准後，即可查閱這些資料。
英國內政部稱，人們的通訊方式在過去15年中變化很快。
該機構在一份聲明中說：“由互聯網革命引起的通訊方式的變化將日益影響我們現有的獲取通訊數據並利用其保護公衆安全的能力。”
“爲了保證我們的安全部門和執法機構能繼續利用這一寶貴工具來保護公衆安全，政府計劃推出《通訊數據法案》。”
通訊數據草案預計將於今年晚些時候公佈，但目前該計劃還未提交各部大臣討論。
該計劃可能會引起有關公民自由及數據保護的擔憂。
據《泰晤士報》報道，去年英國人共發送約570億條短信，平均每天約發送30億封郵件。
此前，英國政府已着手建立有關身份證計劃和全國健康服務系統病人檔案的龐大數據庫。
