New UK email data law

[sister-ray]

I think this is a total invasion of peoples rights and privacy and a waste of money aswell.

BBC NEWS | UK | UK e-mail law 'attack on rights'

 

[amastie]

Re: New UK email data law.

:yikes:
so hard to believe!

 

[white page]

Re: New UK email data law.

I find this horrendous !
All I can say ,is that there will be a sudden rise in the sale of postage stamps !!

 

[David Baxter PhD]

The Home Office insists the data, which does not include e-mails' content, is vital for crime and terror inquiries.

They are not keeping your emails. They are simply keeping server logs of the origins and destinations of those emails.

 

[sister-ray]

They are not keeping your emails. They are simply keeping server logs of the origins and destinations of those emails.

I know that but I still dont like it and how do we know they arent keeping the whole email, we only have their word for it, its really none of their business, and they cannot be trusted with our information anyway after some of the things that have happened in this country recently, peoples benefit details found on cds on trains, laptops with top secret information on military and MOD employees found by cilivians etc, if they suspect someone of terrorism or crime thats find but to do it to everyone isnt. I believe they use the terrorism and crime issue as an excuse to invade the ordainary citizens privacy, this is something I disagree with and feel very strongly about.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I know that but I still dont like it and how do we know they arent keeping the whole email, we only have their word for it

It's your internet service provider (ISP) who is being ordered to keep the records and their records are the server logs of emails going through an account. The logs record IP origins, relays, and destinations, but not the content of the email. If it stored the content of every email, the log would soon expand and fill up the hard drive on the server - it's simply not feasible.

 

[sister-ray]

it's simply not feasible.

Im not so sure, the ISP might not have enough space on their servers but the goverments servers are immense, if you read the end of the article they are thinking of setting up databases of every email, text, phone calls and website people visit/make anyway whatever I dont agree with it, its an invasion of peoples privacy whatever information they keep.

 

[Into The Light]

what's the point of storing that information if they don't store the content of the email as well?

hard drives and storage are getting cheaper and bigger all the time, by leaps and bounds.

i don't see the point of it. if it's to catch criminals i don't think that's a good enough reason to make the entire public give up their privacy.

i agree with you sister-ray that this is not a good development. they're chipping away at people's privacy bit by bit. and it IS a waste of money! that money could be put to much better use such as improving social programs for people like yourself.

 

[sister-ray]

it IS a waste of money! that money could be put to much better use such as improving social programs for people like yourself.

I totally agree with you ITL!

 

[David Baxter PhD]

what's the point of storing that information if they don't store the content of the email as well?

As I said, server logs store the headers only which indicate the source and destination and other identifying information but not the content.

And I think you're vastly underestimating the volume of email that is exchanged in a single day, let alone over a year.

 

[sister-ray]

As I said, server logs store the headers only which indicate the source and destination and other identifying information but not the content.

David even if they only store the above information and NOT the content its still not right, who I email and who emails me is my business and mine alone, its got nothing to do with the goverment!

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Courts in various parts of the world have already upheld the right of employers to screen, keep copies of, and even read your email at work. What the UK government is proposing is less intrusive than that.

You may have a false sense of security when it comes to the privacy you have currently.

 

[sister-ray]

You may have a false sense of security when it comes to the privacy you have currently.

No I dont Im fully aware of how my privacy is already invaded in this country, the email thing is just another one to add to the list, Its just something I dont like and feel strongly about as ITL rightly said the money would be better spent elsewhere!

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I meant regarding email privacy specifically...