In a speech regarding international terrorism this morning, home secretary Jacqui Smith stressed the need for new laws that would allow officials to keep track of potential terrorists by collecting online information from social networking and online gaming sites.
Presently, security officials can demand to see telephone and email traffic from communications services providers, companies that transport information electronically, usually for billing purposes.
However, Smith said that new CSPs, like social network sites, online gaming, auction and video sites, where services are offered for free and data is not stored, are a potential hotbed for terrorist activity.
New legislation would make it possible for this information to be collected and stored, she said.
She underlined the difference between accessing the content of these messages and collecting communications data, which only reveals the name and location of the speakers, not the content of the message.
Smith said: "There are no plans for an enormous database which will contain the content of your emails, the texts that you send or the chats you have on the phone or online. Local authorities do not have the power to listen to your calls now and they never will in the future."
The government will be conducting a three-month consultation period in the new year to see the feasibility of new legislation.
The plans drew criticism from the opposition and information privacy groups.
Liberal Democrat MP Chris Huhne said: "The government's Orwellian plans for a vast database of our private communications are deeply worrying."
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