Social network plans 'unworkable'

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Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker has said the Government's intercept modernisation programme may be extended to include "the retention of data on Facebook, Bebo, MySpace and all other similar sites".

But Michael Parker, spokesman for campaign group NO2ID, said: "Their plans for the intercept modernisation programme were completely unworkable to begin with and are becoming more so with every addition they suggest."

It is already intended to store information about every telephone call, email, and internet visit made by anyone in the UK on a central database.

Under the new proposals, the sites could be required to hold data about who users correspond with, but their actual messages would not be collected.

Mr Parker added: "The idea of tracking calls, texts and emails made by people in the country is unspeakably offensive."

Details of the proposals were disclosed by Mr Coaker earlier this month at a little noticed Commons committee to examine draft EU directives.

He said the Government was considering acting on social networking sites because they were not covered by the latest proposals from Brussels.

"Social networking sites, such as MySpace or Bebo, are not covered by the directive," he said.

"That is one reason why the Government are looking at what we should do about the intercept modernisation programme because there are certain aspects of communications which are not covered by the directive."