The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act is expected to come into force in October. To the Government it is an essential step to bring law enforcement powers into the Internet age1. For civil rights organisations it violates privacy, could prevent fair trials and will have a "chilling effect"2 on liberties. The Act is known as RIP - whether you see this as apt depends on the side you take in this debate.
RIP was introduced to take account of developments in technology, comply with the Human Rights Act3 (due in force on 2 October 2000 and which protects private correspondence) and the Telecommunications Data Protection Directive4 (which requires laws to protect communications). It will regulate [1] interception of communications, [2] surveillance, [3] decryption of intercepted material and [4] the investigatory and intelligence services. The first and third areas will affect e-commerce businesses, especially Internet service providers.
