Silicon.com: 'Unworkable' Snooping laws delayed for third time

[Owen Blacker]

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> HEADLINE: 'Unworkable' Snooping laws delayed for third time
> PUBLISHED: 6:25pm on Friday 2nd March 2001
> CHANNEL: Power brokers
> AUTHOR: Suzanna Kerridge
> SERVICE: http://www.silicon.com
> 
> TEXT OF STORY FOLLOWS:
> 
> The UK Home Office has pushed back the publication of the 
> code of practice designed to govern the day-to-day operation 
> of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act.
> 
> The code of practice, without which the Act is unusable, has 
> already been delayed three times thanks to a wave of protests 
> from the high-tech industry.
> 
> Sally Low, policy advisor at the British Chambers of 
> Commerce, said: "They have put back the process because the 
> Commission has been inundated with comments. The most 
> criticism has been received from businesses claiming the code 
> places an enormous burden on them and is unworkable." 
> 
> David Smith, information commission registrar, confirmed the 
> reports. "We received more comments than expected and the 
> process of going through them all is taking longer than 
> originally thought," he said.
> 
> Smith admitted the majority of responses accused the code of 
> being too restrictive on employers. He said the commission 
> was taking the concerns into consideration when drafting the code.
> 
> But Yamen Akdeniz, director of Cyber Rights and Cyber 
> Liberties, questioned whether the delay was due to conflicts 
> in the code with regulations set down in RIP.
> 
> He told silicon.com: "RIP is a complex issue that needs to be 
> balanced with the Data Protection Commission's codes. The Act 
> deals with interception of email while the Data Commission 
> comes into practice once the data has been stored. The 
> problem is that these two issues conflict and I don't know if 
> there will ever be a unified code."
> 
> One peer opposing the legislation, Lord John Cope, was not 
> surprised by the delay.
> 
> "This has happened because it is more complicated than they 
> originally realised. They now have to get the wet towels out 
> and do some more careful thinking.
> "The whole process of RIP has been like this. The government 
> starts off by over-simplifying the idea and when they look at 
> it in detail they see it is far more complicated. It doesn't 
> surprise me in the least."
> 
> The BCC's Low criticised the UK government's handling of 
> ecommerce legislation, and claimed: "This is one issue we're 
> fighting with the Data Commission as it is like using a 
> sledgehammer to crack a nut. The UK is very good at overdoing 
> regulations on the ecommerce side of things."
> 
> For related news, see:
> 'Snooping Bill' will be law by October says Peer
> http://www.silicon.com/a38583 
> 'Snooping Bill' enters last lap as opposition unites
> http://www.silicon.com/a38538 
> Snooping Bill is passed and present
> http://www.silicon.com/a38806 
> 
> To see this article:-  http://www.silicon.com/a43048
> 
> STORY ENDS
> 
> For more information on silicon.com go to http://www.silicon.com.
> 
> silicon.com - the who, what, when, where and why of ebusiness

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