I was actually amazed that anyone from the UK home office would suggest keeping another database after the past couple of years they have had.  However, as the Timesreported yesterday, the UK home office is planning a database holding details of every phone call, e-mail and time spent on the internet by the public.  Obviously the government agencies feel that they are not finding the quality of porn they deserve nowadays, and keeping it in a big database ‘bucket’ will make it easier for them to copy and distribute to their peers.  Let’s not suggest that they would mail copies of the database to others or leave it in taxi cabs, that would be crazy talk.

The information would only be kept for 12 months (until they decide otherwise) and permission to view this information would granted by the UK courts.  This would allow the police, security services and other agencies across the EU to access the data.  It’s a thought provoking challenge on how they will develop a database that can hold 57 billion text messages and 3 billion e-mails per day (Times), especially as they are still developing their NHS database that is billions of pounds over budget. Amusingly it is suggested that the data for this database could be entered by Tom, Dick or Harry.

David Davis the UK shadow secretary suggested that after previous database fiasco’s ”this could well be more of a threat to our security, than a support”.  Currently, in the UK, records of phone calls and text messages are stored by the telecom companies and that requirement is to be extended to internet, e-mail and VOIP use and that this new database, held by the home office, should store the information.

The home office is suggesting that rather than get court orders for hundered of companies to hand over information, they can quickly check one database for all the information.  Oh, so it’s for your convenience?  Well that makes taking our privacy OK then…

Unfortunately, it smacks of not being able to breathe without being watched.  Never mind that one database holding this information could be abused and it would be under a huge risk of attack.  I think that the UK government are justifying this database as it will make their lives more convenient instead of having to justify why they need access to a individuals records.