Jacqui Smith wants your Facebook data

THE UK government wants to give the police, as well as security and intelligence agencies, new powers to access personal data held by social notworking sites such as Facebook and Bebo and gaming networks.

Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, is obsessed with the idea that criminals and terrorists are using social notworking websites as a way of concealing their communications.

While the spooks can demand to see telephone and email traffic from traditional communications service providers, the gaming, social networking, auction and video sites can tell James Bond to go forth and multiply.

Smith said that criminals could use a chat facility on any of these sites but the spooks can't actually get hold of the data.

This is because sites like such Facebook provide their services free, relying mainly on advertising for income. They don't hold records of their customers.

One Whitehall security official told the Guardian that criminal terrorists were exploiting these free sites. "People have many accounts and sign up as Mickey Mouse and no one knows who they are."

So if the government spooks don't know who Mickey Mouse is, and he is not a terrorist, we really are in trouble. Particularly from suicide bombers with the surname 'Duck'. But if the cops can think that a Brazilian electrician is a middle eastern terrorist, why can't MI6 think that Mickey Mouse or Basil Brush work for a terror organisation.

The government's response is to demand that social networks hand over the data, which of course will cost the sites huge wodges of cash.

If the government pays for any new data access scheme, it is likely to cost taxpayers billions and will require international cooperation since many of the new sites are based in colonial outposts such as the US.

The spooks call the programme the "interception modernisation programme", or IMP. They say access to communications data is a crucial tool in combating the sorts of crime, such as terrorism, paedophilia, kidnapping and drug trafficking, they always say we will be safe from if they are allowed to check our underpants for skid marks every night.

Then there comes the kicker. The new legislation will apply only to communications data, such addresses and names, but not to the actual content. The spooks will get your name and address but would still need a ministerial rubber stamp before they could monitor your account.

The data will be available to police, local council officers and other public bodies. So if you don’t pay your council tax, officers can track you down via your Myspace page. µ

L'Inq
The Guardian