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Human rights group calls for email privacy laws

By Polly Raymond

Published: Wednesday 29 July 1998

A human rights organisation is calling on the UK government to protect email privacy in the same way as it currently protects phone conversations.

The Justice organisation raised the issue on Tuesday when it suggested that police and security services currently have unlimited access to email traffic.

Justice is now calling for a revision of privacy laws to include all new methods of communication - including email. Peter Noorlander, legal researcher at the organisation, said: "The current framework is just a patchwork of laws - there needs to be a review so it can cover every angle."

Noorlander wants the UK's privacy laws to be expanded - like those in Scandinavia and Canada where all private communications are protected with equal weight.

However, Simon Davies, UK director general of the global watchdog, Privacy International, said: "It won't be easy to make the government become more interested in privacy issues - we've been trying for years to repair the gaping hole in email privacy law".