IP: U.K. email spy law costly and undemocratic, opponents say

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2000 08:40:24 -0400
> From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
> To: politech () politechbot com
>
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> Email spy law 'costly and undemocratic'
> http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/politics/story/0,3604,370632,00.html
>
> Civil liberties
>
> Net news
> Special report: Liberal Democrat party conference 2000
>
> Sarah Hall
> Wednesday September 20, 2000
>
> Controversial new laws allowing the government to "spy" on emails were not
> only a severe threat to human rights and civil liberties but would undermine
> Britain's hopes of being a leading centre for e-commerce, the Liberal
> Democrats heard yesterday.
>
> The estimated cost of implementing email monitoring equipment would be £640m
> over the next five years, while the overall cost to the economy would be
> around £50bn, according to the CBI, said the Trade and Industry spokesman
> Vincent Cable.
>
> Dr Cable said: "This is a civil liberties issue, but we can't disregard the
> fact that this will impose an enormous regulatory burden on what should be
> one of our high growth economic sectors, and it's unnecessary and damaging.
>
> "I'd shy away from calling it a stealth tax, because that's what Mr Hague
> would call it, but it's an attempt to impose the cost of regulation on
> industry. If the government wants industry to be spies, it should pay for
> it."
>
> [...]
>
>
>
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