A proposal from the police could see children as young as five on the national DNA database – even where no crime has been committed. Richard Taylor reports.

Babar Ahmad is the US’s hostage in Britain, his conversations with MP Sadiq Khan have been monitored by police and he faces extradition to the US on trumped up charges. He is the real victim of the bugging scandal, says Matthew Cookson.

From telephone records to biometric passports, from travel patterns to shopping details, it is now possible to build an unimaginably detailed picture of our private lives. Gathering this data without our express permission is not just unaccountable, argues Ben Hayes, but poses a threat to the fabric of our democracy.