Privacy campaigners slam secret ‘Snooper’s Charter’ surveillance tests as Home Office teams up with police and two internet firms to spy on people’s web browsing history
- Two UK internet providers have been tracking the websites visited by customers
- Companies are working with the Home Office and National Crime Agency
- Trial of new ‘snooping’ powers were granted by Investigatory Powers Act 2016
- Privacy rights groups
Privacy rights groups have slammed the government for testing out ‘snooping powers’ by teaming up with two internet providers to track websites visited by their customers.
It has been revealed that the Home Office and National Crime Agency have for months been trialling surveillance technology that could log and store the search history of every person in the UK.
The tests have been shrouded in secrecy, with the two internet service providers (ISPs) taking part remaining unnamed.
It was made possible by the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, dubbed the ‘Snooper’s Charter’, which was spearheaded by former Home Secretary Theresa May.
Privacy rights groups have slammed the government for testing out ‘snooping powers’ by teaming up with two internet providers to track websites visited by their customers
The act allows the secretary of state to make an internet provider keep their records for up to a year, with a judge’s approval.
These records can include which websites their customers visit and how much data they download – but it will not show the exact content they looked at on the sites.
This could reveal a lot about a person’s habits, including where they shop, their political views and even potential what type of pornography could may watch.
First revealed in WIRED magazine, the trial’s existence was not formally announced or publicised, but was referenced in a 168-page report from the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (Ipco).
A spokesperson for the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office says the trial is ongoing and that it is conducting regular reviews to ‘ensure that the data types collected remain necessary and proportionate’.
They add that once the trial has been fully assessed a decision will be made on whether the system will be expanded nationally.
But privacy campaigners have argued that lack of transparency even around the trial suggests it is not fit for its intended purpose.
Heather Burns, policy manager of Open Rights Group, said: ‘It’s needles in haystacks, and this is collecting the entire haystack.
‘We should have the right to not have every single click of what we do online hoovered up into a surveillance net on the assumption that there might be criminal activity taking place.’
It is reported that the National Crime Agency has spent around £130,000 on external contracts to build technical systems needed to run the trials.
‘We are supporting the Home Office sponsored trial of Internet Connection Record capability to determine the technical, operational, legal and policy considerations associated with delivery of this capability,’ said a spokesperson for the National Crime Agency.
Elements of the legislation are also being challenged in court.
There has been no public announcement of the trial, with industry insiders saying they are unable to talk about the technology due to security concerns.