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MPs to quiz home secretary on controversial web monitoring plans

Home Affairs Select Committee ask Theresa May to discuss monitoring proposals

House of Parliament
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MPs have asked to speak to home secretary Theresa May over controversial web, email and phone monitoring proposals that the government have claimed will help fight crime and terrorism.

The proposals are designed to allow law enforcement agencies such as the police and MI5 to monitor internet and phone users connections, to build audit trials but will not assess or collect data within the conversations.

However, the MPs, who sit on the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC), said they are concerned by the proposals.

Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, Julian Huppert, revealed they have asked to speak to May as soon as possible.

"I've formally asked HASC to call home secretary and head of counter-terror to give public evidence about communications data proposals," he said on Twitter.

"Just spoke to Keith Vaz, who chairs Home Affairs Select Committee. He agrees we should call home secretary and OSCT [office for security and counter-terrorism] head in to give evidence ASAP."

Hubbert said he was unconvinced by claims from law enforcement agencies that such measures were necessary.

"I obviously dislike whole concept of centralised databases of communications data - and don't always trust the security services claims," he added.

Meanwhile, accounts on Twitter associated with the Anonymous movement have threatened the government with possible action in light of the proposals.

Online rights groups have already voiced their concern with the proposals, with the Pirate Party warning that not only were they a huge intrusion into people's lives but also likely to prove unworkable and expensive.

"Government IT systems never work properly and always go massively over budget. Even if this scheme wasn't a violation of our human right to privacy, we can ill afford to pay for another massive white elephant in the current financial crisis," they said.

"The current system of surveillance authorised by judges when there is reasonable suspicion works well, and gives the police all the powers they need while protecting innocent members of the public from excessive surveillance."

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