Fergie's Tech Blog

UK Surveillance Figures Could Mask Bugging of Millions

Via OUT-LAW.com.

British security agencies who made 440,000 requests to monitor people's phone and internet use in 2005 and 2006 could in fact have tracked millions of people.

Each interception warrant is capable of permitting surveillance of a premises which could contain tens or hundreds of people. Each request for communications data, a different kind of request, can relate to a person or an organisation.

The Interceptions of Communications Commissioner revealed in his annual report that in a 15-month period in 2005 and 2006 there were 439,054 requests for communications data made by public and security authorities.

There were 4,843 warrants for the interception of communications in the same period. A single warrant could legitimise the bugging of an entire office.

posted by Fergie @ 2/20/2007 07:03:00 PM