UK rules out surveillance 'super-database'
Regional-UK, Politics, 4/27/2009

UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith Monday ruled out a state-run "super-database" to track all emails, internet use, text messages and social networking but said the government wanted phone and internet providers to track users.

"There are absolutely no plans for a single central store. We recognize that there is a delicate balance between privacy and security, but to do nothing is not an option as we would be failing in our duty to protect the public," Smith said.

Reports have been that the government was planning to create a single 'super-database' to hold vast amounts of personal information, but critics had warned that it would be an unwarranted intrusion of privacy as well as technically fraught and hugely expensive.

Smith admitted that more privacy concerns were raised by the proposal to store all the personal communications data in a state-run single database than individual private companies retaining the information for access by the police and security services as and when they needed it.

"Advances in communications mean that there are ever more sophisticated ways to communicate and we need to ensure that we keep up with the technology being used by those who would seek to do us harm," she argued.

Unveiling a delayed a consultation paper that had been expected to be published months ago, the home secretary estimated that the cost of the private sector solution would be around £2bn over 10 years, far less that speculation that it could be as high as £12bn.

Britain's police and security services have become increasingly reliant on being able to access communications data while conducting counter-terror and crime investigations, but will have to ask companies for information on a case-by-case basis under the new proposal.

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