An Issue of Future Significance

The Internet has since its conception, been an un-regulated and un-policed resource available for all. Many regard the freedom of the Internet as the fundamental reasons for it's success.

Huge amounts of data of countless types cross the Internet. Unless this data in encrypted it is vulnerable those who might choose to view, corrupt or destroy it. The threat to this data has traditionally been from hackers who access data for either purely malicious reasons or indeed , as some claim, to pinpoint security weakness in computer systems.

However, should the regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill pass through Parliament in it's current form, then data from the Internet to computers in Britain will now be accessible to the Government.

Under the Bill the government will be able to access such data for te following reasons:

Some, if not all, of these reasons may well be justifiable, but the last, which allows data surveillance for the economic well being of the United Kingdom, may prove crucial to the success or failure of e-commerce within the UK.

Even if a computer user should decide to use cryptography to protect their data from prying eyes, the government will want to have access to the key to unlock the data. If the user fails to provide the key to the data, whether through choice or by having misplaced the key, then they would be committing a criminal offence under the Bill. The government proposes that such keys should be held by Trusted Third Parties as described in this extract from the DTI's Net Benefit Site

In the UK, the Government is proposing to encourage the establishment of Trusted Third Parties (TTPs) where users of encryption keys could deposit their private encryption keys with licensed organisations which would provide legal access by law enforcement agencies. Introducing legislation to license such bodies will give both the public and business confidence that they are dealing with organisations providing professional key management and storage facilities.

The government has often emphasised how Britain is at the forefront of the rise of the Internet and e-commerce but many see this Bill as potentially ruining Britain's chance to take the lead in such matters.

Many feel so strongly on this issue that they are urging people to lobby their MP on the matter. Stand.org.uk is dedicated to changing the Bill and the impact it may have on Britain's E-Future.

If the Bill is passed as law Government agencies will be installing "black boxes" in ISP's in order to monitor network traffic. Some say that if "you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to worry about", but would those same people show so little concern if they thought there traditional postal service was tampered with?

The Bill is soon to come before Parliament, and should the Bill be passed, we may see the true impact.