[Guardian] Home Office highlights gaps in online surveillance of criminals

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A quarter of police and agencies’ data requests not met, says official, as government prepares to unveil web tracking laws.

The rapidly changing nature of internet-based communications has left the security agencies and the police unable to legally track the online activities of terrorists and serious criminals in 25% of cases, the Home Office says. […]

The new internet surveillance law will not give the police the power to retain the content of any emails, tweets or other social media use or their use in real time. Instead it will build on an existing 2009 European Union directive which requires internet service providers to collect and store for 12 months the mobile phone and internet use data they keep for the purposes of billing customers. […]

Nick Clegg’s office has been quoting with approval the Liberal Democrat president, Tim Farron, who has insisted that there « must be absolutely no question of universal internet surveillance » and warned that the party will oppose the bill if it believes it amounts to « a threat to a free and liberal society« . […]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/may/08/online-surveillance-criminals-home-office

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