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Surveillance law: Revised plans to be set out in Parliament Surveillance law: Revised plans to be set out in Parliament
(about 2 hours later)
Revised plans setting out powers for UK police and security agencies to monitor people's communications and internet usage are being published later.Revised plans setting out powers for UK police and security agencies to monitor people's communications and internet usage are being published later.
A Home Office source said the Investigatory Powers Bill would include greater privacy safeguards, after criticism of last year's initial plans.A Home Office source said the Investigatory Powers Bill would include greater privacy safeguards, after criticism of last year's initial plans.
Three parliamentary committees raised concerns about clarity and privacy.Three parliamentary committees raised concerns about clarity and privacy.
The government wants surveillance tactics used in the digital age to be brought under one legal umbrella. Ministers say new powers are needed to fight terrorism, but internet firms have questioned their practicality.
The new bill will be laid before Parliament. Civil liberties campaigners have also raised concerns about the balance between people's privacy and security.
Ministers want the legislation to become law by the end of the year as they say new measures are necessary to fight crime, terrorism and other threats to national security and the UK's economic wellbeing.
But civil liberties campaigners have raised concerns about the balance between people's privacy and security.
Web browsingWeb browsing
The draft bill, published last November, was a response in part to a 2015 review by the government's terror watchdog, David Anderson QC, who said the UK needed a "comprehensive" new surveillance law to replace the current "fragmented" rules. Ministers want the new bill - bringing surveillance tactics used in the digital age under one legal umbrella - to become law by the end of the year, citing the urgent demands of national security and crime prevention.
It included plans to force internet service providers to store web browsing records of everyone in the UK for a year, to help the police and security services keep pace with the technology being used by terrorists and organised criminals. Since the draft bill was published in November, they say a number of changes have been made:
Under those plans, police and other agencies would be able to access these records in pursuit of criminals, but also seek to retrieve data in a wider range of inquiries, such as missing people.
A warrant from the home secretary would be required if officers wanted to mount more intrusive spying operations - including accessing the content of emails - but a new Investigatory Powers Commission would be able to veto such requests.
AnalysisAnalysis
Danny Shaw, BBC home affairs correspondentDanny Shaw, BBC home affairs correspondent
The Investigatory Powers Bill is intended to address gaps in intelligence gathering and access to communications data which the government believes are putting "lives at risk".The Investigatory Powers Bill is intended to address gaps in intelligence gathering and access to communications data which the government believes are putting "lives at risk".
The draft bill was the subject of intense scrutiny by three parliamentary committees. They were concerned the proposals lacked clarity and could be too intrusive.The draft bill was the subject of intense scrutiny by three parliamentary committees. They were concerned the proposals lacked clarity and could be too intrusive.
The result, according to the Home Office, is a bill that now contains tighter technical definitions; codes of practice setting out how the powers will be used, and stronger controls to protect freedom of speech and privacy.The result, according to the Home Office, is a bill that now contains tighter technical definitions; codes of practice setting out how the powers will be used, and stronger controls to protect freedom of speech and privacy.
Ministers want the measures on the statute book by the end of the year - a timetable which is unlikely to satisfy critics who say the plans are being rushed through.Ministers want the measures on the statute book by the end of the year - a timetable which is unlikely to satisfy critics who say the plans are being rushed through.
Home Secretary Theresa May said last November that the draft package of measures was a "significant departure" from previous plans, dubbed the "snooper's charter" by critics and blocked by the Lib Dems in the coalition government. Home Secretary Theresa May said last November that the draft package of measures was a "significant departure" from previous plans, dubbed the "snoopers' charter" by critics and blocked by the Lib Dems in the coalition government.
But in its analysis of the draft bill, the Joint Committee on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill concluded that the Home Office had a "significant amount of further work to do before Parliament can be confident that the provisions have been fully thought through". But the Joint Committee on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill and Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee both said more work needed to be done.
Meanwhile, Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee concluded last month that the draft bill lacked clarity and was a "missed opportunity". The latter recommended the new bill should include "an entirely new part dedicated to overarching privacy protections".
It recommended the new bill should include "an entirely new part dedicated to overarching privacy protections, which should form the backbone of the draft legislation around which the exceptional powers are then built". MPs on the Science and Technology Committee, meanwhile, warned that the bill's requirements were confusing, and said firms feared a rise in hacking as a result of the measures.
MPs on the Science and Technology Committee also warned that the bill's requirements were confusing, and said firms feared a rise in hacking as a result of the measures. Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo all expressed concerns over the phrasing of proposals on encryption, bulk collection of data and openness.
Technology firms including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo have expressed concerns over the phrasing of proposals on encryption, bulk collection of data and openness. 'Unenforceable'
The Home Office said the revised bill was "world-leading legislation... subject to a robust regulatory regime".
But Lawrence Jones, from web hosting company UK Fast, dismissed it as "unenforceable".
"The bill is doomed from the outset... It's almost as if Theresa May doesn't understand how the internet works," he told BBC Breakfast.
"Criminals are not going to follow a set of rules. Criminals are going to hide behind proxy servers around the world where there's no government legislation."
James Blessing, chairman of the Internet Service Providers' Association, said the demands on companies were achievable with "a big budget and plenty of time", but there were concerns around the security of the information stored.
He said the material - for example, around banking and shopping habits - would become "a really rich vein" for criminals.
And on the reassurances that internet firms would only have to decrypt material for law enforcement where it is practicable, he added: "What is practicable and what is sensible are two very different things."
The revised bill is expected to reflect the majority of the recommendations made by three committees.The revised bill is expected to reflect the majority of the recommendations made by three committees.
Where recommendations have not been accepted, the government says they would compromise the capabilities of law enforcement and intelligence services.Where recommendations have not been accepted, the government says they would compromise the capabilities of law enforcement and intelligence services.
Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham has said Labour supports the overall aim of the bill but has urged the government to reconsider its plans to ensure they strike "the right balance for our security and privacy". Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham has said Labour supports the overall aim of the bill but has urged the government to achieve "the right balance for our security and privacy".
A Home Office source said: "We have strengthened safeguards, enhanced privacy protections and bolstered oversight arrangements.
"This is world-leading legislation, setting out in unprecedented detail the powers available to the police and security services to gather and access communications and communications data, subject to a robust regulatory regime."