Response to RIP: open letter from thus

The theory behind the bill is a noble one: allow key public sector organisations to have surveillance techniques over the Internet, which are comparable to other existing channels, such as the telephone. In practice, it's not unworkable - more severely restrictive.

For a start, the cost of implementation will require a large investment - particularly on the part of the 'trusted third parties'. It is estimated that service providers will have to spend upwards of 650m over 5 years (British Chamber of Commerce) to comply with the legislation.

Their customers will in turn be hit with forced expenditure of between 1000 per year for a small organisation and 25,000 for a large one. These figures could be even greater by the time the government finalises its proposal.

But the price UK plc will pay isn't confined to monetary denominations. The upshot could be that we are left behind as the electronic revolution happens around us. Currently, the UK is at the forefront of this drive - largely due to the technological innovation and fostering of the entrepreneurial spirit here. In one fell swoop, the Government could turn us from pioneer to also-ran.

The key issue here is that the Internet is a global medium which can't be fully controlled - it has grown beyond that. Trying to place too many restrictions on it, or attempting to keep it within certain comfortable, ordered parameters, is a pointless exercise. If the rest of the world refuses to impose this type of legislation - and the indications are they won't [be doing so] - we're left out on our own. Do e-business with the UK? Not worth the effort.

The fact is, dotcoms know that it doesn't matter where their business is based - just that it has a good enough connection to the rest of the WWW. We've already seen betting organisations move their webservers offshore to enjoy offering tax free betting (the benefits of which are passed on to the consumer) and other major companies, such as Vodafone, threatening to move away due to the tax restrictions placed on them.

These are businesses we should not only be fostering, but actively encouraging. How many reasons do we want to give our innovators and entrepreneurs to move out of the country?

Businesses will be hit hard, but the consumer is ultimately the one who will pay, in terms of higher costs, more hassle, and less privacy. We don't want to have to play our part in this by passing down costs, but if the Government doesn't relent there's very little we can do.

thus, formerly Scottish Telecom, operates a number of ISP services in the UK, including operating the Demon internet service. (www.thus.co.uk)