U.K. Internet Cafes Asked to Monitor Web Usage for Terrorism

After several terrorism related convictions in the U.K. where suspects were believed to have used Internet cafes, police are seeking cooperation for the cafe owners:

"The new initiative involves getting internet cafe owners to monitor the websites their customers view and to pass on any worries over suspicious activity to the police."

and additionally,

"The police want internet cafe owners to check the hard drives of their computers to help spot any suspicious activity."

It should probably go without having to say, there are critics of the program(me). One commentator is quoted::

"What is dangerous about this initiative is that it does not just focus on preventing access to illegal material but also material that is defined as 'extremist' without offering an objective definition of what that is.

"It thus potentially criminalises people for accessing material that is legal but which expresses religious and political opinions that police officers find unacceptable."

Anti-terror police seek help from internet cafes