Minister dismisses civil rights objections to RIP Bill

Home Office minister Charles Clarke has dismissed claims that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Bill is an infringement of human rights.

In an open letter, published this morning on Homeoffice.gov.uk, Clarke said the Bill, which enables police to decrypt emails of suspected criminals, does not place the burden of proof on people under investigation.

He wrote: "Accusations that the Bill reverses the burden of proof are simply wrong. This is important. The burden, and it is a significant one, falls on the prosecution to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that an accused person is, or has been, in possession of a key to unlock particular protected data."

Initial discussion of the Bill had prompted fears that individuals who had lost their decryption keys would risk imprisonment. Clarke said: "There are statutory defences for individuals who have lost or forgotten a key. These need only to be established on the lower level of proof - the balance of probabilities."

In an interview with Silicon this week, Clarke added: "Nobody who's not involved in any criminal activity - along the lines we've said - has, in our view, anything whatsoever to fear from it."

The RIP Bill has just entered a four-week period of committee discussions. A revised version will be read before Parliament next month.

A full interview with Home Office Minister, Charles Clarke, will be available on Silicon on Monday.