U.K. to monitor, store all social-network traffic?

news.cnet.com...
"The U.K. government is considering the mass surveillance and retention of all user communications on social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo."

"Under the EU Data Retention Directive, from March 15, 2009, all U.K. ISPs are required to store customer traffic data for a year. The Interception Modernisation Programme, or IMP, is a government proposal, introduced last year, for legislation to use mass monitoring of traffic data as an antiterrorism tool."

www.publications.parliament.uk...

I have 400 friends on Myspace and 100 on Facebook, I should have known that a few from both are terrorists!

Honestly though, terrorists using Bebo and Myspace? News to me!

This puts a dent in conspiracy theories revolving around the mass monitoring of social-networking sites and internet discussions in general by secret Government organizations or super computers, etc, because if these existed then why would the U.K Government be trying to push forward something like this and in such a pubic view?

reply to post by Nventual


two reasons, first of all it's a crossing the T's thing, they are making something that was previously voluntary, mandatory.

the secound big reason to do this is so that they can use interceptions as evidence in their own right.

There is a third reason.

Once the practice is publicly legitimized it can be OUTSOURCED.

The business sector will benefit greatly..., probably not your business sector... but the money will flow out from your tax-base and into their pocket.... you ARE going to pay THEM to watch you.

Having said that, remember, once the private sector is inserted into the governance model, they will soon be developing policy...

and there goes the neighborhood... you're one step closer towards being the cattle that they milk. And of course, your children will NOT EVEN THINK there's anything wrong with it..., because to them "it's always been this way."

Be well.