Government plans to hold every citizen's phone and internet record

"A government database holding details of every phone call made, email sent and minute spent on the internet by the public could be created as part of a centralised fight against crime and terrorism," reports The Guardian.

"The information would be stored for at least 12 months and police, security services and other agencies across Europe would be able to access the database with court permission.

"There are also concerns about the ability of the government to manage a system containing billions of records. About 3bn emails are sent in Britain every day and last year 57bn text messages were sent."

To comment on the Bill click here (the link will take you to the government's Draft Legislative Programme consultation website).

To see the response from the Information Commissioner's Office click here.

This BBC story shows that it was the British government pushing through the legislation they now say they are required to enforce.

Finally, here's what industry insiders think of the idea.