Outcry over 145;Big Brother146; database in UK

According to The Independent newspaper, the government8217;s terrorism watchdog has condemned the plan to create a giant database holding information about every phone call, email and internet visit made in the UK.

8220;As a raw idea it is awful,8221; said Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, the independent reviewer of anti-terrorist laws.

He described the government8217;s recent track record on handling public data as an 8220;unhappy one8221;, and said that searches of a new database should only be carried out with the authority of a court warrant.

The controversial move has caused alarm among liberals who alleged that it would give the state unprecedented access into the lives of its citizens.

Richard Thomas, the British Information Commissioner, warned the plan was 8220;a step too far for the British way of life8221;.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said it will have a massive impact on the citizens privacy but will do nothing to make them safer.

8220;This is another example of the Government8217;s obsession with gathering as much information on each of us as possible in case it might prove useful in the future. Like the discredited ID card scheme this will have a massive impact on our privacy but will do nothing to make us safer,8221; he said.