http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7962631.stm

Details could be leaked, said one Lib Dem MP

Social networking sites like Facebook could be monitored by the UK government under proposals to make them keep details of users' contacts.

The Home Office said it was needed to tackle crime gangs and terrorists who might use the sites, but said it would not keep the content of conversations.

Civil liberties campaigners have called the proposal a "snoopers' charter".

The idea follows proposals to store details of every phone call, email, and internet visit made in the UK.

Tens of millions of people use sites like Facebook, Bebo and MySpace to chat with friends, but ministers say they have no interest in the content of discussions - just who people have been talking to.

'Overkill'

Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said the websites contained sensitive personal details and that he was concerned information could leak from any government-controlled database.

The Independent newspaper quoted him as saying similiar plans to monitor phone and email records threatened to be the "most expensive snooper's charter in history".

"It is deeply worrying that they now intend to monitor social networking sites which contain very sensitive data like sexual orientation, religious beliefs and political views," he said.

The newspaper also reported that Chris Kelly, Facebook's chief privacy officer, was considering lobbying ministers over the proposal, which he described as "overkill".

It is right to point out the difficulty of ensuring that we maintain a capability to deal with crime and national security... where that butts up against issues of privacy Vernon Coaker, Home Office

With similar proposals already being enacted or under consideration for phone, email and internet contacts, ministers denied they were trying to intrude on people's private lives.

A Home Office spokesman said it would consult shortly "to ensure that we keep up with technological advances".

"The government has no interest in the content of people's social network sites and this is not going to be part of our upcoming consultation," the spokesman said.

"We have been clear that the communications revolution has been rapid in this country and the way in which we collect communications data needs to change, so that law enforcement agencies can maintain their ability to tackle terrorism and gather evidence," he said.

The spokesman reiterated that as with similar proposals for emails, text messages and phone calls, there were no plans to retain the content of conversations.

Details of the proposals were disclosed by Home Office minister Vernon Coaker earlier this month, at a Commons committee to examine draft EU directives.

He said that the government was considering acting on social networking sites because they were not covered by the latest proposals from Brussels.

Mr Coaker acknowledged that the plan would raise fresh concerns about the right to privacy, saying he accepted it was an "extremely difficult area".

"It is absolutely right to point out the difficulty of ensuring that we maintain a capability and a capacity to deal with crime and issues of national security, and where that butts up against issues of privacy," he said.

"he was concerned information could leak from any government-controlled database."

I don't even care if they can somehow manage to keep it safe. The government has no business keeping track of things such as this.

And there's also the possibility that the government could become rather corrupt (or rather far more corrupt than it already is) and begin using these tidbits of information to persecute people.

The reality presented in 1984 is getting nearer and nearer. We have the government listening in on everything we do, and things like the North American Union popping up. Reminds me of 1984. The world was nothing more than three super states forever at war with each other, in complete control of their people's lives. Although the three super states probably didn't actually exist, and the fear was just being used to keep people in line.

This is news? read the terms and condition on you facebook, it's scary. you don't own your own information and anything you put on there becomes their property.

What could I put on Scifiboy's page to get MI5 to pick him up?

^ Just repeatedly write the words 'bomb, Gordon Brown and murder' that will work, luckily VGChartz is small enough to get under the radar, isn't it?... ISN'T IT???

I would say this is the least of your worries.  Anything you put on Facebook anyone can look at anyways. Cops have been using it to bust up teenage parties FFS.

The NSA and Homeland security in the States are alot worse.  They spy on private stuff like e-mail.

Well my government is still trying to censor the internet.

As soon as the legislation is passed I'm going to bypass it, but its the bloody thought that they want to do it that pisses me off.

I don't want my country to become a tyranny within my lifetime.