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dublet writes:

The BBC is reporting the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled an EU directive (One that requires phone and internet companies to retain communications data of when and who their customers called, texted, and emailed, but not what was said for a 12-month period) as unlawful. In a reaction to this the UK government is set to railroad new legislation within a week that keeps the existing pervasive snooping laws legal.

The unheard speed of passing this legislation is almost guaranteed by support of the three main political parties in the UK parliament.

Without a new law being passed in the UK to retain the powers, the British Prime Minister claims that that information could be destroyed within weeks by companies fearing legal challenges, meaning police and the security services would not be able to access it.

There would also be new moves to "increase transparency and oversight", including:

• A senior diplomat will be appointed to lead discussions with the US government and internet firms to establish a new international agreement for sharing data between legal jurisdictions
• The creation of a new Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to "examine" the impact of the law on privacy and civil liberties
• A "review" of the controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA)
• Annual government "transparency reports" on how these powers are used
• A "restriction" on the number of public bodies able to ask for communications data
• The so-called sunset clause ensuring these powers end in 2016 to ensure a longer and wider "debate" about what more draconian laws will replace them