Changes to Communications Law

Internet surveillance The Government has announced that it is considering bringing forward legislation on internet surveillance.

There has been a deal of speculation about what this legislation would contain. It remains unclear what the Government proposals are.

The Government needs to explain what they want to do and why.

The police and security services should be able to keep up with new technology to deal with serious issues including disrupting terrorist planning, catching paedophile rings or cracking down on organised crime.

But both privacy and security need to be protected. We need clear checks and balances on what the police, security services or the Government are able to do. The public will also need confidence and trust in the system. For example, most of us would be strongly opposed to the idea of police officers or intelligence agencies being able to browse the content of everyone’s emails.

Any proposals need proper consultation and scrutiny so that we can have a proper public debate on any new plans.