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Deutsch: ETSI-Standard für rechtmäßige Überwachung wirft Datenschutzfragen ...

The draft UK Communication Bill raises new privacy concerns after it has been revealed that the UK has also been driving the development of a European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standard framework that allows interception of the content of communication as well. The Bill will allow the government to compel service companies like Google and Facebook to provide information to the police and intelligence services, while the framework sets out the technical standards for this.

The draft Communication Bill is supposed to deal only with traffic data, according with the Government position: “The changes we are making only relate to the who, where and when of communications data. The interception of the content of any communications is a completely separate matter and continues to be strictly controlled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, requiring a warrant signed by the secretary of state" said a Home Office spokesman.

But an April 2012 draft report from ETSI on Lawful Interception (LI) and Cloud/Virtual Services explains that an electronic communication provider that offers cloud services must maintain its obligation to LI. This means that "the cloud service provider must implement a Cloud Lawful Interception Function (CLIF). This can be by way of Applications Programming Interface (API) or more likely ensuring presentation of information in a format recognisable to interception mechanisms."

The Guardian explains it as being measures to monitor "nomadic access", which means surveillance of an individual whether they go online from their home computer, mobile or an Internet café.

"They are saying this is only about communications data, but in fact it is not. If you build the infrastructure that ETSI have agreed, it can be used for interception. The documents show that there is a clear and continuing intention to use it for interception”, explains Prof. Ross Anderson, from the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory,

"We're seeing moves at an international level to make it easier for the content of communications to be intercepted. For Home Office officials behind the communications data bill, spying on who we are emailing or Skyping is not their final objective. Officials from Britain are working internationally to force service providers to ensure that their systems are easy to tap into," concluded Nick Pickles, from Big Brother Watch.

Security services to get more access to monitor emails and social media (28.07.2012)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jul/28/isecurity-services-em...

Draft ETSI DTR 101 567 V0.0.5 (2012-04) - Lawful Interception (LI); Cloud/Virtual Services (CLI)
http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/tsg_sa/WG3_Security/TSGS3_LI/2012_45_Bratislav...

EDRi-gram 10.10: Concerns over the proposed Communication Bill in UK (23.05.2012)
http://edri.org/edrigram/number10.10/draft-communications-bill-uk