Accused: UK behind push for new snooping rights

The UK government stands accused of leading its European partners into rubber stamping tougher 'snooping' laws which will give all EU countries the right to retain phone and data transmissions for up to seven years.

The claim - which comes from campaigner Caspar Bowden, director of the foundation of information policy research - is being made despite repeated public denials from DTI chief Patricia Hewitt.

Leading European ministers gathered at the Telecommunications Council on Thursday to hammer out details of a draft proposal that will force telcos to give cybercrime fighters access to all voice and data traffic.

Bowden called the UK's participation in talks sheer duplicity.

"Before the election, the UK government said it was not seeking to introduce mandatory date retention laws. Patricia Hewitt denied on three separate occasions that the UK was leading calls to allow member states to introduce these laws. So, why was the UK leading the charge?" he asked.

Current law enables EU countries to keep data for billing purposes only on the premise that it is erased or made anonymous once it is no longer needed.

EU sources claim the changes will help police fight child pornography, incitement to racial hatred and money laundering on the internet.

However, even the European Commission and the EU's Data Protection Working Party is opposing the adoption of such far-reaching powers of surveillance.

Neither the DTI or the EU was available for comment.

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