Next tie a celeb or other unfortunate does something, guy from the papers rings his contact in the government, money changes hands and transcripts of all the emails and calls start appearing in the papers. but of course we all know criminals will stop sending emails, and using the phone when this gets introduced so it will just hold the private info for the rest of us. Totally moronic idea, might be time to set up an isp somewhere in the third world. I can see quite a bit of demand coming up from 'law abiding british people'

While they're at it why don't they also install cameras in every bog pan in the country and monitor your bowel movements too?

Or will I get labeled an anticitizen for even mentioning it?

How long before the entirepolice investigating power is reduced to

select * from logs where url like "%goatsex.com%"

I don’t even think discussing this concept is a good use of Uk tax payers money , even if the technology existed to store this amount of data to even attempt such a stupid idea is crazy. What would they do with all the data and how would they search it ? Content engines just cant check this kind of data real time and in so many formats. Even rudimentary encryption would kill the slightest chance of it working should they be able to develop a solution to read and write as fast as would be required. I don’t agree with big brother tactic in the corporate world as they just don’t provide a solution to the real problems i.e. spam. So I can’t see any benefit from a system like this could conceptually provide even if it was physically possible. The people who thought this up obviously don’t know what they are talking about! One call into IBM or Cisco or EMC etc would put a VERY fast stop to this. Time wasters trying to justify a wage to people who should know better but obviously don’t , I am afraid.

Everyone in the UK's Calls, Texts eMails etc... I think not... This excessive invasion into other peoples privacy is a joke!

And processing the information... Good joke... Millions of eMails, Texts etc etc...

i think the next step will be placing a small cam in every household that would monito every movement within homes. U never know what is happening inside homes and so important to fight all criminal activities.. I mean to eradicate crime. IF U R innocent...u have nothing to fear.. So lawabiding citizens do not protest

When Britain first at Heav'n's command
Arose from out the azure main;
Arose, arose, arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter, the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sang this strain:

Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
Britons never, never,* never shall be slaves!
Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
Britons never, never,* never shall be slaves! 

NEVER SHALL BE SLAVES? Well maybe for another decade or so...

now can i put this, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO
this has NOTHING to to with terrorism and everything to do with controlling the people. This "data" would also be sold to companies without our knowlage
My grandfather fought for this country to be free only for power mads burocrats to give it all away in the name of saftey against an imagined threat. IT MAKES ME SICK

I thought they did have that. Is that just America, then? Well, Gmail users are included, anyway. Also social networkers using American servers. And Microsoft customers.

Not liking this much, actually. And I bet they -do- already have it.

When Will People Get up and do something about it? Never.
We are the most Regulated Country in the World.
We are the most spyed on by the people we have elected.
Big Brother is Here,and has been for quite a while.

A colleague of mine joked that this sounds more like a Daily Mail story than a Guardian article. Either way though, the war on terror is proving the most successful tool to legitimately infringing human rights since Kristallnacht.

Wake up Britain; before it's too late.

As with any of the governments IT projects, it'll fail in an horrific fashion.

Just a shame about the money that will be wasted in the process if it did go ahead.

Cynical? Me? Not a chance.

Why should the government have access to every email and text I send? That is a massive invasion of privacy.

Shit why stop there!? We could put every important bit of information about everyone in the UK into one big honey pot that thus making it a darn site easier for criminals/terrorists/scientologists to rob this country blind.

Then again it is a draft and if the government has any sense about the critical security issues involved in centralising that much communication then they would be the biggest f***ing bunch of…..oh wait...never mind.

Under plans put forward by officials I understand.

Who precisely are these officials?

I want names; I want addresses; I want telephone numbers; I want email addresses;

I want all their correspondence and activities both written and electronic conducted over the last 12 months available to all who wish to see them.

Let’s see if they like it.

First the USA and now the UK who is next. It is scary when a so called Democracy makes plans to monitor its citezens. How are these Fascists getting away with things like this. Who are our governments controled by? It doesnt seem like we the voters have any say in how things happen in the governed anymore. What kind of world are our children going to be living in.