New July 2001: Information Commissioner, Annual Report 2001 
Responding to Cybercrime (pages 14-15) and the Council of Europe Cyber-crime Convention  (pages 35-36), July 12, 2001. 
The retention of traffic data beyond the period demanded by technical and commercial reasons would be an invasion of the right to private life assured by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. See further, Complaints over data privacy soar, The Guardian, July 12, 2001

New: Akdeniz, Y.; Taylor, N.; Walker, C., Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (1): Bigbrother.gov.uk: State surveillance in the age of information and rights, (2001) Criminal Law Review, (February), pp. 73-90 at http://www.cyber-rights.org/documents/crimlr.pdf

New: Looking to the Future: Clarity on Communications Data Retention Law, NCIS Submission to the Home Office, By Roger Gaspar, Deputy Director General, NCIS Chairman ACPO Police and Telecommunications Industry Strategy Group, on behalf of A.C.P.O. and A.C.P.O (S), H.M. Customs & Excise, Security Service Secret Intelligence Service, and, GCHQ, 21 August, 2000.
See also the Observer, Secret plan to spy on all British phone calls, 03 December, 2000.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 - updates the law on the interception of communications to take account of technological change such as the growth of the Internet. It also puts other intrusive investigative techniques on a statutory footing for the very first time; provides new powers to help combat the threat posed by rising criminal use of strong encryption; and ensures that there is independent judicial oversight of the powers in the Act.

Explanatory Notes to Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act - They have been prepared by the Home Office in order to assist the reader in understanding the Act and have not been endorsed by Parliament. The notes need to be read in conjunction with the Act. They are not, and are not meant to be, a comprehensive description of the Act. So where a section or part of a section does not seem to require any explanation or comment, none is given.

RIPA Statutory Instruments - There are a number of these and the most important one is the Statutory Instrument 2000 No. 2699 - The Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000

Home Office provides further information about the Act but note also the extensive media coverage related to the Act. Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK) also provide information related to the progress of the RIP Bill/Act.