The trade and industry secretary has voiced industry concerns over
the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill. However, the Home
Secretary has re-iterated his arguments against the expected costs.
Referring to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill which is currently in the House of Lords, the trade and industry secretary, Stephen Byers, yesterday told MPs “We are aware of concern within the business community about some of the proposals in the measure which is why the home secretary has indicated that he is more than willing to consult business about their concerns and if necessary the measure can be amended.”
Byers was relaying industry concerns about the cost involved in making ISPs pay for the installation of e-mail interceptors. However, the Home Secretary, Jack Straw, yesterday re-iterated his earlier argument in a letter to the Financial Times:
“Contrary to [the British Chamber of Commerce’s] claims, there will be no need for ‘black boxes at all ISPs sending traffic to GTAC’. The Government Technical Assistance Centre will deal with material intercepted under warrant. It will not be used to access communication data.”
Jack Straw also attacks the suggestion that the introduction of the bill could cost £46 billion over five years. He describes it as “literally incredible,” given that the total contribution of e-commerce to the economy is presently about £5 billion.
