The Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP) is a UK government initiative to extend the government's capabilities for intercepting and storing communications data. It has been widely reported that the IMP's eventual goal is to store details of all UK communications data in a central database.
In 2008 plans were being made to collect data on all phone calls, emails, chatroom discussions and web-browsing habits as part of the IMP, thought likely to require the insertion of 'thousands' of black box probes into the country’s computer and telephone networks. The proposals were expected to be included in the Communications Data Bill.
The "giant database" would include telephone numbers dialed, the websites visited and addresses to which e-mails are sent "but not the content of e-mails or telephone conversations." Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Home affairs spokesman said: "The government's Orwellian plans for a vast database of our private communications are deeply worrying." The Home Office has denied reports that a prototype of the IMP had already been built.
The UK's new coalition government has apparently revived the IMP in their recent Strategic Defence and Security Review.
2 comments:
pretty scaring... just collect the data but not the content...who believes that...
it doesn't matter- it just leads to moral opinions without justification. ie, visiting, for example, a piracy website 'imples' you are engaging in illegal activity even though that is legal. Under a watchful eye you'd have to prove you haven't done anything..
In the same way that watching violent films 'implies' you are a psychopath.
there's a petition here:
http://action.openrightsgroup.org/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=1422&ea.campaign.id=8227
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