The proposed tracking of everyone’s email, internet and social media use has been dismissed as “expensive to implement and highly contentious”, despite amendments made by Home Secretary Theresa May. The Guardian have reported on a leaked private letter sent from the five biggest internet companies to Theresa May, in which they warned that they will not cooperate voluntarily.
Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo have collaborated to address the proposals, which they believe to be excessive and inviting “potentially seriously harmful consequences”. Under the rewritten proposals, the internet activity of UK residents would be recorded and kept on file for a period of twelve months. Any activity carried out by UK-based users on overseas websites is included in the data which the government would like to track and monitor. Without the cooperation of the big five, the success of the project would appear to be very unlikely.
In the letter leaked to the Guardian, which was dated 18th April, the five major US players advise May that the proposed tracking would seriously threaten the UK’s reputation as a leading digital nation and jeopardise the role which the UK currently holds in promoting freedom of expression on the internet. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo have refused to comply with the requests of May’s proposal but have advised that they are willing to make reasonable accommodations to reflect local legal requirements and concerns. The letter allegedly detailed alternative measures which could be implemented without resulting in the same level of contention.
“We do not want there to be any doubt about the strength of our concerns in respect of the idea that the UK government would seek to impose an order on a company in respect of services which are offered by service providers outside the UK,” say the companies in the private letter. “The internet is still a relatively young technology. It brings enormous benefits to citizens everywhere and is a great force for economic and social development. The UK has rightly positioned itself as a leading digital nation. “There are risks in legislating too early in this fast-moving area that can be as significant as the risks of legislating too late.”
A Home Office statement issued this week says “The government is continuing to look at ways of addressing this issue with communication service providers. This may involve legislation.”
Is this a step too far? Do we have the right to privacy or do you think that if you are not doing anything illegal, you have nothing to fear? Let us know your thoughts below.
All businesses, regardless of whether you are a sole trader, or a large company need comprehensive insurance to protect them in case anything goes wrong. We have a wide range of policies to suit different types of business and these can be amended to accommodate your needs. Call our business team on 01480 402475 for a quote.
