Data dilemma
The Homes Office will talk with civil liberties groups to discuss UK interception laws, despite previously ruling out a meet up.
The European Commission 'persuaded' the Home Office to meet with groups as part of a consultation into UK interception laws after The Open Rights Group and others voiced their concerns that the consultation is being rushed though, the BBC reported.
The worried groups want to see stronger laws put in place to stop individuals' emails and web traffic being tracked without their knowledge and it seems they will have longer to press the government for action as the consultation period has been extended until 17 December.
The consultation has come about because of the EC's investigation into Phorm's actions where thousands of BT customers' accounts were tracked without their consent.
The EC's investigation reportedly uncovered the fact that the UK has no legal rights for people who think their web and email habits have been monitored unintentionally or an official body to handle complaints.
The lack of infrastructure apparently puts the UK in breach of the European e-directive and has therefore forced a probable shakeup of the Home Office's Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).
Any changes to the law could have an impact on firms like Google that ‘accidently' collected data from individuals' unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
Jim Killock, chief exec of the Open Rights Group told the Beeb he is not happy about the way the consultation, which opened in November, is being handled.
He reportedly said: "When the consultation started in November we heard about it through the grapevine rather than a public announcement. We wrote to the Home Office saying they needed to meet with representatives from civil society because the law was about individual rights."
"We were told that the Home Office was only consulting those directly affected, ie those who might get punished, ignoring the fact that those most directly affected are the general public. The consultation is about a very serious matter. What rights should we have as citizens to take legal action against people who intercept our communications? Should criminal as well as civil charges be available? Who should investigate?" he reportedly added.