Social media surveillance ‘chilling’ effect

Fears surrounding state surveillance of the internet could have a “chilling effect” on the use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter, says former Whitehall intelligence chief Sir David Omand.

The ex-Cabinet Office security and intelligence coordinator and former director of the GCHQ electronic eavesdropping agency, said it was essential that monitoring of social media was put on a proper legal footing.

A report by the think-tank Demos, which Sir David co-authored, said existing laws regulating the interception of communications by police and intelligence agencies needed to be overhauled to meet the complexities of social media.

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While intelligence gathered from social media – which it dubbed “Socmint” – could be a vital source of information in identifying criminal activity or providing early warning of disorder, it said the public needed to be confident it was not being abused.

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