The UK Internet Services Providers Association (ISPA UK) was set up in 1995 as a trade association to represent UK companies in the internet sector. The annual Parliamentary ISPA forum is now in its fifth year. This was the forum's first meeting since the controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) came into force in October 2000.
ZDNet.co.uk reports Rachel Basger, regulatory manager of World Online, as saying that one police officer asked her to locate an e-mail address from the postcode of someone who was not even a customer of the ISP. Other ISPs complained of similarly impractical requests.
ISPA members have called for better observance of customer rights.
Under the new law, ISPs can be served with notices that demand their assistance in intercepting the communications of individuals who are named in interception warrants made pursuant to the Act.
The notices can be used by security agencies to procure information to detect or prevent serious crime, in the interests of national security or to safeguard the economic well-being of the UK.
The Act requires that the notice states the person or premises to be intercepted together with details of the communications to be intercepted.
The Act places the burden on the ISPs served with notices to provide the necessary interception equipment. While financial assistance is available from the Secretary of State, there has been no guidance to date on how much will be available or the criteria on which any such application will be judged.