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Home Office 'should only hold data when necessary'

A select committee has said the government should only collect data when it is necessary and not hold it for any longer than it is needed, it has been reported.

In a report released yesterday, the Home Affairs committee announced that decisions to create new databases to share data or increase surveillance should only take place if a reason can be proved, according to ZDNet.co.uk.

The report – titled A Surveillance Society? – states the Home Office should specifically address the effect extensions of power will have on individual citizens as well as society as a whole.

It adds that extended camera surveillance plans can only be funded if they can be justified through real evidence.

According to the website, the report recommends the home office "take every opportunity to raise awareness of how and why the surveillance techniques provided for by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act might be used."

Meanwhile, a recent study by Unisys revealed that losing personal details is ranked as the British public's biggest concern.