SHOULD officials dealing with mundane matters of health and social welfare be allowed to rummage through your email and Internet records? On 10 June, the British government seemed to think so. It gave advance warning of a move to expand the list of authorities empowered to demand detailed personal communications data from service providers and telecoms companies. A week later, a shaken Home Secretary withdrew the order, admitting his initiative had been a “blunder”.
Privacy and civil liberties advocates were delighted. Yet set in a global context, David Blunkett’s retraction looks like a mere pause. Across the world, governments are…
