Tough new anti-terrorism laws announced in parliament on 15 October
will require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to keep a record of
the source and destination of e-mail messages.
Home Secretary David Blunkett announced the new plans in response
to the 11 September terrorist attacks on America.
The proposals will be part of a wide-ranging bill that is expected
to come before parliament in November.
The Home Secretary's plans will come as a serious blow to
e-business campaigners who have fought against Section 12 of the
Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act, which requires ISPs
to bear the cost of storing data.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the new
legislation could add to the cost for business, dent consumer
confidence and harm e-commerce.
Senior e-business adviser Pamela Taylor said: "This extends beyond
the reach of the RIP Act. Businesses realise there is a new
political climate but will want proof that any new measures will
actually combat terrorism.
"If users feel their privacy is being infringed upon it will harm
consumer confidence. This new legislation will obviously also mean
additional costs to ISPs and there is a very real danger of severe
damage being done to the long-term growth of e-commerce," she
said.
IT security expert Peter Sommer, from the London School of
Economics, also believes that e-commerce could suffer from the new
anti-terror laws.
He said: "It will put an additional expense on ISPs and this will
be reflected in the costs that people pay for the service."
Caspar Bowden, director of the Foundation for Information Policy
Research which campaigned against the RIP bill, fears the new
surveillance powers could be broadened once they are in use.
He explained: "The great fear is that this new legislation will be
used for broader surveillance such as the type we fought against in
the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. This new information
could be used to tackle minor crime and even snoop on campaign
groups such as anti-globalisation protestors."
Bowden joined Sommer in expressing doubt as to how effective the
new laws would be in combating terrorism.
Sommer said: "All it is going to achieve is the capture of
legitimate traffic between people with regular accounts. There are
not enough specialists in Middle East politics/strategy and too
much emphasis is placed on electronic surveillance."