There has been some discussion recently around the fact that the Home Secretary is going to authorise a system that will enable all emails and text messages to be intercepted and viewed remotely, with Naq contributing a fantastic blog on the subject. Rather that add my observations to Naq’s blog, I thought I’d add them here as I can be quite verbose when it comes to this type of subject!

The Home Office have for quite some time been examining this ‘Black Box’ system, an intelligence-driven programme that will enable the authorities to collect data on any form of electronic communication or on-line activity. At the moment it is already possible to track Internet use, intercept emails, faxes and telephone calls but any form of interception requires a warrant. Jacqui Smith’s new masterplan will see a system that simply pulls all of the data into a centralised system automatically.

This could be problematic if hackers get into the system as there will be emails containing banking details, business deals etc in there. And hackers are the least of the worries if the current way in which the government handles such data is anything to go by – in the last four years, the Ministry of Defence has admitted the theft of 659 laptops and a further 121 data sticks – about 1 item every two days! On top of this, they admitted ‘losing’ 89 laptops. On these laptops were people’s bank details, passport details, personal banking details, etc, etc.

Then there’s the issue of who will have access to the data. At the moment 650 organisations (that’s right, it’s not a mistype it does say SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY) can currently apply for a warrant to initiate a bugging operation, be that an email interception or a phone tap. So at least that many will have access to the information collected by the ‘Black Box’ system. And that’s without including any organisations from Europe………….

Europe? I hear you ask. Why yes, under the ‘Prum Treaty’ any member state is allowed to search through each other’s police databases on DNA and fingerprints – very worrying, especially to those 4 million Britons on these databases who have never been charged with anything! So it’s a dead cert that all EU member states will have access to this information – and indeed how long before some of us wonderful Shopper bloggers have an EU arrest warrant issued for something we’ve posted?!

Not only Europe, I’m afraid, as the US is already intercepting our communications- there’s a major communications intercept centre at Menwith Hill – rather cunningly called RAF Menwith Hill, even though the 562 acre site is run by America’s National Security Agency and staffed by 1200 US service personnel! In fact all of the 35 US bases in the UK are cunningly called RAF bases!

And BT has already inadvertently admitted in a court case (before a judge attempted to quash the evidence) that it had connected three digital optical fibre cables to the base – capable of carrying over 100,000 telephone messages to the facility to be picked at and analysed:

A judge has lambasted BT for revealing detailed information about top secret high capacity cables feeding phone and other messages to and from a Yorkshire monitoring base. BT admitted this week that they have connected three digital optical fibre cables - capable of carrying more than 100,000 telephone calls at once - to the American intelligence base at Menwith Hill, near Harrogate.

Menwith Hill is run by the US National Security Agency (NSA), which monitors the world's communication for US intelligence. NSA acknowledges that "the Hill" is the largest electronic monitoring station in the world. Over 1,200 US civilians and servicemen work round the clock at the base, intercepting and analysing communications mainly from Europe, Russia and the Middle East.

Much of the information reaching the base comes from spy satellites. The base has 26 large white golfballs or "radomes" for space communications, making it an inescapable landmark in the Yorkshire dales.

In a courtroom fiasco this week, British Telecom's solicitors first sent documents and a witness to give details of the cables to York Crown Court, where two women campaigners were appealing against conviction for trespassing at the station. The next day, they sent a second solicitor to attempt to silence their own witness and to withdraw evidence already given.

Judge Jonathan Crabtree agreed to grant public interest immunity "BT had no business whatsoever to disclose anything of the kind", he said. He then ordered Mr R.G. Morris, BT's head of emergency planning, not to give any more evidence about the secret cables.

After being privately briefed in his chambers by BT's second solicitor, the judge said that it was immaterial if Menwith Hill was spying on British citizens and commercial communications and may have cost British companies in billions of dollars of lost sales.

"The national interest of the United Kingdom, even if if is conducted dishonestly, requires this to be kept secret", said Judge Crabtree.

Good old Judge Crabtree – with friends like him looking after us, we’re well and truly out of time on trying to stop ourselves becoming a totalitarian surveillance society!