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[FYI] UK: Legal fears over e-mail tapping
- To: debate@fitug.de
- Subject: [FYI] UK: Legal fears over e-mail tapping
- From: "Axel H Horns" <horns@t-online.de>
- Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 23:36:19 +0100
- Comment: This message comes from the debate mailing list.
- Organization: PA Axel H Horns
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http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3BFJOX6
6C
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Legal fears over e-mail tapping
By Jean Eaglesham, Legal Correspondent - 23 Mar 2000 22:21GMT
Government changes to a new law allowing officials to bug and tap e-
mails and mobile phones are insufficient to comply with human rights,
according to a new legal opinion.
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers bill, "on the face of it
breaches the new Human Rights Act on several grounds", said Tim
Eicke, a barrister and author of the opinion.
[...]
He said the courts would weigh up the "credibility" of the person
charged - genuine excuses had to be balanced against a "criminal who
pretends to forget".
The Foundation for Information Policy Research attacked this
approach. "The question of the reversal of proof has been festering
for eight months," said Caspar Bowden, the foundation's director. "It
is time for the Home Office to give a reasoned explanation of how an
innocent person who has forgotten their key can be expected to prove
this."
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