Civil Liberty Group Puts IBM and BT in Spotlight Over E-Bill.

Online civil liberties group Cyber-Rights and Cyber-Liberties (UK), has written an open letter to the heads of IBM Corp and British Telecommunications Plc, asking them to confirm their positions on what the group describes as the UK government's "draconian" e-commerce bill. The organization, run by a group of academics and lawyers, is the latest in a stream of bodies to officially condemn the government's proposals. The letter, addressed to IBM chairman and CEO Lou Gerstner and BT CEO Sir Peter Bonfield, questions the draft Electronic Communications Bill's compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights, and asks the two CEOs why they appear to be endorsing it.

Under the proposed legislation, individuals are obliged to hand over decryption keys to law enforcement agencies if criminal activity is suspected. It will become a jailable offense to withhold these keys, and to "tip off" people who are having their emails decrypted by police. Cyber-Rights points out that, due to the two-way nature of encryption, innocent citizens that are sent email by suspects could have their entire in-box decrypted and scrutinized by police.

It would also be an offense for these innocent parties to inform their equally innocent correspondents that their emails are being monitored. Cyber-Rights also criticizes the clause in the bill that says those suspected of holding decryption keys will have to prove they do not or face prosecution, which weakens the presumption of innocence.

The organization said: "If implemented there will undoubtedly be occasions when they seriously imperil the safety, security and privacy of entirely honest and law-abiding citizens. To convert honest, law-abiding citizens into criminals when all they have done is to use cryptography to protect themselves is not a step that any truly democratic government would take." Rather than the "pernicious and draconian" bill, Cyber-Rights suggests a bill based on the US Security And Freedom through Encryption (SAFE) bill, which merely imposes a "key holder obligation to decrypt."

Both IBM and BT took part in the consultation process leading up to the draft, and have since its publication expressed broad support for the proposals. The open letter, written by technology policy advisor Dr Brian Gladman, asks both companies to qualify their opinions and openly support Cyber-Rights' proposals for SAFE-based UK legislation.