Spooks to see your phone and web use in ‘real-time’

PHONE and internet companies will be forced to hand details of customers’ communications to the police and security services within one working day, it has been revealed.

Details of every internet visit, text and phone call must be disclosed in ‘near real-time’, according to a draft paper prepared by the Government.

But spies and counter-terror police will not be able to see this content without a warrant signed by a judge.

The regulations are part of the controversial Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), dubbed the snooper’s charter. The Open Rights Group, which received a leaked copy of the document – subject to a consultation ending on May 19 – claims it includes provisions to enable the removal of ‘end to end’ encryption, used by the likes of messaging platform WhatsApp.

But this has been denied by the Government, which says the paper goes no further than the IPA. This states companies will be ordered to decode customers’ communications only ‘where practicable’.

The Home Office said: ‘These regulations do not create any new powers on encryption.’