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The proposal, put forward by the EU Commission at a recent conference, calls for police officers and MI5 agents to be granted powers to monitor your internet browsing habits, read your emails and instant messaging conversations, without permission.

However, a Home Office spokesman told Computer Shopper that there are no plans to introduce this scheme

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in the UK just yet.

"The coverage was generated by an EU proposal, and it's nothing more than a proposal, to give law enforcement agencies across Europe the possibility of remote accessing prime suspects' PCs," he said.

The spokesman also responded to national press reports that the Home Office has secretly signed up to the proposal.

"The papers got all excited about a recommendation or proposal that came out of a justice for human rights meeting that was about widening access to Europe. It was only a proposal, it was nothing more than a proposal, we've not signed up to it - it's not been given any more consideration than just a proposal in a meeting."

He explained that in the UK, if the police currently want to do some covert surveillance on somebody, they can apply via the Surveillance Commissioner to gain access to remotely look into someone's PC.

"That isn't a new power, that power has always been there."