A poor bargain

摘要

Should officials dealing with mundane matters of health and social welfare be allowed to rummage through your email and Internet records? On 10 June, the British government seemed to think so. It gave advance warning of a move to ' expand the list of authorities empowered to demand detailed personal communications data from service providers and telecoms companies. A week later, a shaken Home Secretary withdrew the order, admitting his initiative had been a "blunder". Privacy and civil liberties advocates were delighted. Yet set in a global context, David Blunkett's retraction looks like a mere pause. Across the world, governments are engaged in an unprecedented build-up of state surveillance powers that could fundamentally shift the balance between the individual's right to privacy and the state's obligation to fight crime and terrorism. In May, the European Parliament voted to require telecoms and Internet service providers to retain personal communications data that might be needed by law enforcement agencies. And in preparation for this month's G8 summit, ministers endorsed a list of "principles on the availability of data essential to protecting public safety".