The
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has asked consultants
to put a value on privacy protection, just as the government
revealed it gave permission for more than half a million phone and
e-mail interceptions last year.
Liberal Democrat spokesman
Chris Huhne said, the problems the UK faced did not justify
spying on half a million people a year. "We have sleepwalked into a
surveillance state but without adequate safeguards," he said.
The ICO has asked Watson Hall Ltd and John Leach Information
Security (JLIS) to produce a business case for investing in
proactive privacy protection.
ICO assistant commissioner Jonathan Bamford said putting a value
on privacy protection was crucial to ensuring safeguards.
The
discussion
document will be available on Friday 14 August 2009 and the
consultation closes on 1 September 2009.