Friend makes an important point. The purpose of encryption is to add confidence to e-commerce and to internet use. It is bad enough for an internet service provider to have to allow interception that is carried out with care and due attention, although, by and large, it is understood that such interception must sometimes be undertaken by security and other services. However, it would be more worrying if interception could be handled recklessly and without the interceptor bothering to tidy up after himself or to look after the private key that he used to obtain access and any additional information that became available. Such activities would undermine confidence in the whole system of e-commerce in Britain and could encourage people to base their businesses overseas.
Friend makes the right point.
That is an issue which affects use of the net and the consumer's confidence in it. Obviously, there are one or two people who use the net for criminal purposes-that was highlighted on the Second Reading. However, we should not accept the mindset that that constitutes a substantial proportion of the use of the internet. I think my hon. Friend is right that it could damage confidence in the net if there was a feeling that vast amounts of information were being hoovered up and sieved in order to locate the odd item used for criminal purposes.