Britain\u2019s Home Secretary is pushing for new spying powers to access social media and email accounts. Theresa May argues that it\u2019s a \u201cmatter of life and death,\u201d and has dismissed claims the government wants to spy on citizens.<\/p>\n
The British Home Office is pushing for changes to the law that would radically expand powers to monitor citizens. The communications data bill, which has been branded \u2018the snooper\u2019s charter\u2019 by opponents, would allow authorities access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.<\/p>\n
In addition, services like Facetime and Skype would also be accessible to the UK authorities.<\/p>\n
May argues that social media platforms have become\u00a0\u201csafe havens\u201d<\/em>\u00a0for organized crime and terrorism and the government must act to counter the new threat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe world is a dangerous place and the United Kingdom needs the capabilities to defend its interests and protect its citizens,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0she said in a speech to Lord Mayor\u2019s Defense and Security Lecture at London\u2019s Mansion House, reports the BBC.<\/p>\n She went on to say that the National Crime Agency has had to drop at least 20 cases over the last six months because of missing communications data. May said at least 13 of those cases were\u00a0\u201cthreat-to-life\u201d<\/em>\u00a0scenarios involving children.<\/p>\n “We must keep on making the case until we get the changes we need,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0said May, insisting it is a matter of life and death.<\/p>\n The \u2018snooper\u2019s charter\u2019 was blocked by coalition partners the Liberal Democrats last year, who condemned the bill as an affront to privacy. However, May argues that the government is missing out on a valuable resource in the fight against criminality.<\/p>\n “Governments have always reserved the power to monitor communications and to collect data about communications when it is necessary and proportionate to do so,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0she said.<\/p>\n During her speech, May addressed American-spy-turned whistleblower Edward Snowden\u2019s allegations that the government was unlawfully spying on citizens. She slammed claims that the spy agency GCHQ was taking advantage of loopholes in legislation to tap into social media as\u00a0\u201cnonsense.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Responding to Theresa May\u2019s speech, acting director of privacy group Big Brother Watch, Emma Carr, said the Home Secretary was trying to force the unpopular legislation.<\/p>\n \u201cYet again the Home Secretary is clashing with the broad political consensus that no new powers should be introduced until a full independent review into the currently available surveillance legislation and oversight mechanisms has taken place,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0she told Forbes.<\/p>\n Edward Snowden triggered a worldwide scandal last year when he released classified information, revealing the spy antics of the US and its allies. It was found that the US National Security Agency collaborated with the UK\u2019s GCHQ to gather and store metadata in huge quantities.<\/p>\n The US maintains that its intelligence practices are a vital tool in the fight against terrorism, but has scaled back some of its activities since the revelations came to light. In January this year, President Barack Obama said the NSA would no longer monitor the personal communications of foreign leaders, but would continue to gather data on the intentions of foreign governments.<\/p>\n