Consumer groups excluded from internet interception law consultation

Open Rights Group outraged at being left out of the regulatory debate

The UK Home Office has announced a consultation to review changes to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, and has angered consumer groups by excluding them from the debate.

The review is to be held on 17 December this year, and will look specifically at consent laws with regard to communications being intercepted, as well as the creation of a sanction for unintentional unlawful interception.

This follows the revelation that telecoms giant BT secretly used customer data to test Phorm's targeted advertising technology in 2008.

The Open Rights Group, which campaigns for rights in the digital age, issued a complaint to the Home Office about the time frame of the review and the fact that consumers are being left out of the decision-making process.

"Holding a consultation on key privacy protections for barely four weeks, and failing to publicise it, is a disgrace. This is the latest in a long line of Home Office botches," said Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group.

In response to the complaint from the Open Rights Group, the Home Office issued a letter saying:

"We are focusing on those parties directly affected by the changes to the extent that they would be subject to civil sanction or directly concerned with it, or are directly responsible, where lawful interception is taking place, for ensuring that consent has been obtained for the interception."

The consumer group claims that this is ignoring the rights of the "many thousands of people who have been adversely affected by illegal interception".