UK 'spying law' removes right to privacy says Kent expert

Dr Eerke Boiten warns Investigatory Powers bill will remove Internet Service Providers’ right to protect your privacy.

Eerke Boiten, School of Computing and Director of the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research, writes in The Conversation : 'We should seriously debate the role of our internet service providers, or ISPs, telecoms firms and increasingly, web and smartphone apps, as providers of strong end-to-end encryption.

'Bulk data retention, what anyone else would call mass surveillance, will require ISPs to retain every user's internet connection records for 12 months, recording which websites and services had been accessed and when.

'The end game is clear: one where internet users in Britain are required to trust only the actions and intentions of the intelligence services, the home secretary, and whatever oversight mechanisms are in place to preserve any sense of privacy.'

Dr Boiten's piece was published on 5 November, as the government published its draft  Investigatory Powers bill .  This legislation incorporates sweeping surveillance powers and is frequently described as a "snooper's charter".