Communications data
Communications data is the information about a communication, it is a crucial tool in the fight against crime and in keeping people safe.
What is communications data?
Communications data is the information about a communication. It can show when a communication happened, where it came from and where it was going. But it does not include the content of that communication.
For example:
- For a telephone call, communications data could include the telephone numbers involved, or the time and place the call was made, but not the content of the call
- For an e-mail it might include the e-mail address from which it was sent, but not the content of that e-mail.
Communications data is crucial to the fight against crime and in keeping people safe. It plays a vital role in tackling the most serious crimes including terrorism, child sex abuse, kidnap and murder as well as drug related crime. It also protects vulnerable people through for example locating missing persons.
Securing convictions
Communications data has helped to secure convictions in the Soham, Rhys Jones and Gooch Gang murder cases and child abuse cases such as Operation Ore.
Overall it forms an important element of prosecution evidence in 95% of all serious crime cases and has also played a significant role in all major Security Service operations over the last decade.
Access to communications data is regulated by Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), which places strict rules on when, and by whom, this data can be accessed. RIPA strictly limits:
- the grounds on which different authorities can acquire communications data
- the type of data they each can access
- the level of seniority required to approve the acquisition
Keeping up with changing technology
The UK communications market is one of the most highly competitive and technologically driven in the world. This means we now have access to many new forms of internet based communications, such as social networking sites, online role-playing games and instant messaging. Nearly 137 billion instant messages were sent in 2007 alone.
Whilst these new forms of communications undoubtedly bring many benefits, their effect on the way we can use communications data will be profound.
We need to ensure that the law enforcement, security, intelligence and emergency services can keep up with these new forms of technology being used by those who would seek to do us harm.
The government set up the Communications Capabilities Directorate (including the Interception Modernisation Programme) to look at how we can continue to use communications data to protect the public in the future, as internet-based communications technology becomes increasingly popular.
No solution has yet been agreed but there are no plans for a single, large database containing the content of emails and texts, or telephone conversations. This is a complex and extremely sensitive subject, with a fine balance to be struck between protecting public safety and civil liberties.
Consultation
The Home Office therefore launched a consultation on communications data in late April 2009 to examine how we maintain our ability to access this vital information. The consultation is now closed.
The Home Office received large numbers of responses and has published a summary document addressing many of the concerns that were raised. Read the Consultation and Summary of Responses (new window).
For more information read the communications data factsheet.
