14 DAY TRIAL // The British Government wants all necessary information in order to track the activity of all Internet users in the country. This means that authorities would know, at any time, the content, place and time of any given chat conversation. Also, state officials would have access to details about the equipment used to navigate, to email accounts or would be able to download files from the Internet.
All data, no matter if it's private emails or virtual love letters, would be disclosed to the police, local councils, health authorities and basically any state institution that considered that information to be important for solving a case.
To be more specific, some of the data that the Government considers necessary for the institution to solve security matters are related to IDs, telephone numbers in the public network, addresses and IP numbers. These configure an exhaustive image of anyone's identity, so many users might regard the authorities' suggestion with displeasure. Information is to be preserved in a database for an average of 12 months, a time span that could be extended in vis major situations.
To counteract the negative reactions regarding privacy rights infringements, the British Government also offers a few examples of situations when certain information, which it specifically required to be disclosed, led to the solving of difficult cases. An official document released by the Government presents the instance of a chat session between one American and one Briton. The latter claimed that he had attempted to commit suicide by stabbing himself. The IP address, along with other information, showed the police officers to the man's house and, consequently, he was saved in time.
Another case was that of two women who sent an email in which they said they had been kidnapped and taken to a location near Manchester. By going through the available information, authorities learned that the computer from which the message had been sent was based in Slovenia. After going to the address where the two women were listed as living at, police officers learned that everything had been just a practical joke.
The decision regarding unrestrained access to private information as that described above is still under regulation. After October 31, the Government will know whether user data will indeed be put at the disposal of public institutions.