Information about your conversations with your family members and friends could be monitored by the government in the attempt to tackle internet crime and terrorism. Almost 25 million people in Britain are users of social networks and of the 25 million, 17 million are Facebook users. The proposal, Intercept Modernization Programme (IMP), plans to force such sites like facebook and MySpace to save data about their users. This info would then be stored on a central database used by the government to thwart criminals using these websites to communicate. Vernon Coaker, Minister of State for Policing denies that social networks would be covered in the directive. The plans between Coaker and Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Tom Brake clearly raise issues in regards to Privacy and turn innocent Britain’s into suspects. Although Coaker once stated the IMP wouldn’t go as far as social networks, He later Acknowledges the controversy surrounding its plans and confirmed it “may include requiring the retention of data on Facebook, Bebe, MySpace and other similar sites.”
Student Researcher: Tinya Clements
Faculty Instructor: Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D.
Indian River State College
Sources:
Facebook could be monitored By Government, March http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/5046447/Facebook-could-be-monitored-by-the-government.html
Now “Big Brother” targets Facebook, March 2009
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/now-big-brother-targets-facebook-1653407.html
EFF Posts Documents Detailing Law Enforcement Collection of Data from Social Networks
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/03/eff-posts-documents-detailing-law-enforcement