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Sites like Facebook and MySpace could be forced to log data on everyone their users make contact with on their sites, according to reports filed in the UK.

Published: 26 Mar 2009

Sites like Facebook and MySpace could be forced to log data on everyone their users make contact with on their sites, according to reports filed in the UK.

The government is thinking of monitoring social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo as part of its anti-terrorism measures.

The moves follow controversial proposals, under European Union directives, to store information on phone calls made, emails sent and websites visited in Britain. The information could be added to a planned database to track terror plots.

The Home Office defended the proposals amid alarm from privacy and civil liberties groups, and stressed that the government was not seeking the power to examine the content of messages sent on the sites. “The government has no interest in the content of people's social network sites and this is not going to be part of our upcoming consultation,” a Home Office spokesman said.

Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said the websites contained sensitive personal details and that he was concerned information could leak from any government-controlled database.

The Independent newspaper quoted him as saying similiar plans to monitor phone and email records threatened to be the “most expensive snooper’s charter in history”.

“It is deeply worrying that they now intend to monitor social networking sites which contain very sensitive data like sexual orientation, religious beliefs and political views,” he said.

The newspaper also reported that Chris Kelly, Facebook’s chief privacy officer, was considering lobbying ministers over the proposal, which he described as “overkill”.

Related links: Social networking

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