BBC must justify its ‘intrusive’ plan to spy on Wi-Fi

powers to use technology to enforce the new requirement that anyone watching BBC programmes via the iPlayer must have a TV licence, whether watching online or via a television set.

Currently, anyone who watches or records live programming – online or on television – must buy a £145.50 licence. But from Sept 1, those who use the iPlayer only for catch-up viewing will also need to pay the fee.

However, some fear the new vans represent an unacceptable level of intrusion into people’s private lives.

Daniel Kawczynski, the Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, said: “I feel very uncomfortable about this. It is intrusive.

“Until the Government has the gumption to abolish the licence fee this sort of thing will continue to cause complications.”

A spokesman for Privacy International, a watchdog organisation, said: “While TV Licensing [officers] have long been able to examine the electromagnetic spectrum to watch for and investigate incorrect usage of their services, the revelation that they are potentially developing technology to monitor home Wi-Fi networks is startlingly invasive.”

Greg Dyke, former director general of the BBC, said: “Given that the Government is changing the law, making it illegal to watch BBC television services on a laptop or computer without a licence fee, it makes sense to find ways of enforcing that. Whether it is effective must be doubtful.”

A BBC source said: “While we’d never get into the details of how detection works for obvious reasons, it is wrong to suggest that our technology involves capturing data from private Wi-Finetworks.”