Report to Lords will show extra cost of snooping bill

Will Knight ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 12 Jun 2000 09:03 BST

A report to be presented to the House of Lords Monday claims the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Bill will cost Britain's ISPs far more than has been previously claimed by the government, according to sources.

A government commissioned report by independent consultancy firm the Smith Group published in April suggested that the Bill would cost ISPs a maximum total of £30m.

Many industry representatives describe the Smith Report figures as highly conservative. Sources close to the new report suggest that it will estimate that the real cost could be double.

The RIP Bill will also require individuals and businesses to produce the keys needed to decrypt encrypted messages or face a jail term. Technical experts and civil libertarians have branded this both unworkable and a violation of rights.