The Commons’ Science and Technology Committee (STC) has warned that the Government’s planned Investigatory Powers Bill is too vague and needs to be redrafted to avoid economic damage. Meanwhile, some tech firms believe the Bill risks driving away foreign investment.
The Government claims that the legislation is necessary to maintain the operational capabilities of security services and law enforcement agencies in the digital age and maintains that the draft Bill will consolidate, clarify and modernise existing legislation on the interception of communications and the acquisition of communications data.
However, the STC believes that the Bill is too vague to fulfil those objectives, which has been applauded by the technology industry association, TechUK, which has urged the Government to “take on board” the Committee’s recommendations.
Chief amongst these is that the Government should meet the full costs of collecting and storing electronic communications data for 12 months as required by the Bill. If not, the STC warns that uncertainty about the costs of complying with the new legislation could undermine the UK’s strongly performing tech sector.
The Government has said it will provide £175m over 10 years to cover the cost of collecting and storing internet connection records (ICRs) but internet service providers (ISPs) told the Committee that this is not enough.
In its report, the STC says that UK businesses must not be placed at a relative commercial disadvantage to overseas competitors by the proposed measures, with the Committee Chair insisting that it is vital to get the balance right between protecting security and the health of the economy.
In fact, some tech firms that offer encryption services have warned that if the Bill is enacted in its current form, they will be forced to withdraw operations from the UK and internet giants such as Facebook and Microsoft have expressed concern about six key aspects of the bill, including encryption.