U.K. Internet group: Spying program in works

LONDON -- Every email to your child. Every status update for your friends. Every message to your mistress.

The British government is preparing proposals for a nationwide electronic surveillance network that could potentially keep track of every message sent by any Briton to anyone at any time, an industry official briefed on the government's moves said yesterday.

In 2008, plans for a massive government database of the country's phone and email traffic were abandoned following a public outcry. But James Blessing of the Internet Service Providers' Association said the government appears to be "reintroducing it on a slightly different format." He said the move was disclosed to his association by the British Home Office during a meeting in recent weeks.

The Home Office declined to comment, saying an announcement would have to be made to Parliament first, possibly as soon as next month.

There was no indication how such a system would work or what degree of judicial oversight would be involved, if any.

A Home Office spokesman insisted any new surveillance program would not involve prying into the content of emails or voice conversations.

"It's not about the content," he said, speaking anonymously in line with office policy. "It's about the who, what, where and when."

The Home Office said it's vital that police and intelligence services "are able to obtain communications data in certain circumstances to investigate serious crime and terrorism, and to protect the public."

Generally, authorities request such information during an investigation. A standardized mass-monitoring program capturing every email, every post and every tweet would spell the creation of a formidable new surveillance regime.

"It is not focusing on terrorists or on criminals," Conservative lawmaker David Davis told the BBC. "It is absolutely everybody."