Government is "undermining" the right to privacy, say Lords

CCTV is an "essential tool" for crime fighting, says the government

The government has been urged to exercise more restraint over the use of data collection and electronic surveillance powers amid fears that it is " undermining" the right to individual privacy and liberty.

A hard-hitting report from the Lords Constitution Committee also recommended the expansion of the powers and remit of the Information Commissioner to advise on new proposals and monitor the use of existing powers.

The committee demanded rapid compliance with the European Court of Human Rights ruling that the indiscriminate storage of DNA data seized by police from those not convicted of any crime is a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

And it called for restrictions on the use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) by local authorities to engage in snooping, with compensation for victims of inappropriate use of RIPA surveillance powers.

"The huge rise in surveillance and data collection by the state and other organisations risks undermining the long standing traditions of privacy and individual freedom which are vital for democracy," said committee chairman Lord Goodlad.

"If the public are to trust that information about them is not being improperly used there should be much more openness about what data is collected, by whom and how it is used.

"There can be no justification for this gradual but incessant creep towards every detail about us being recorded and pored over by the state."

Tory shadow justice secretary Dominic Grieve said the report is "is a damning indictment of the reckless approach of this government to personal privacy".

But the Home Office insisted that the DNA database - on which it is producing a whitepaper in the light of the European court ruling - and CCTV "are essential crime fighting tools and, along with new technologies, have revolutionised police investigations and helped to keep the public safe".

A spokesman said that the key was "to strike the right balance between privacy, protection and sharing of personal data".

The Local Government Association insisted that RIPA powers, which include access to electronic communications traffic data, are only used when "necessary and proportionate".

The committee said that retention of non-convicts' DNA should only be done if applied to everyone, which would be "undesirable" on civil liberties and cost grounds. It also urged encryption to protect all personal data.