Home Office chiefs are facing a furious backlash from MPs and civil liberties campaigners after teaming-up with UK internet providers to test ways to track people s browsing history.
In a move described by one MP as a spectacular invasion of privacy , the Home Office and the National Crime Agency (NCA) have conducted a secretive trial which allows them to obtain information on what internet sites people have visited.
If the small scale scheme is a success, data collection systems could be rolled-out nationwide.
The trial, said to have involved two unnamed internet providers, uses powers from the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 - dubbed the Snooper s Charter .
Home Office tests web-spying powers with help of UK internet firms
Published
image copyrightGetty Images
Two UK internet providers have been helping the Home Office and National Crime Agency track the websites visited by customers.
A trial of new powers granted by the controversial Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 has been going on for months.
It involves the internet providers creating internet connection records (ICRs), which can be used to show which websites a person visited and when.
Digital rights campaigners have raised privacy concerns. It s needles in haystacks, and this is collecting the entire haystack, said Heather Burns, policy manager with the Open Rights Group.