The government should cease plans for a communications database due to IT security threats, an expert asserts.

According to Spy Blog, there are concerns over the safety of information which would be stored in such a complex.

The weblog says that reviews and consultations on data handling, coupled with several high-profile cases in which files have been lost, should mean that the government "puts a stop to new snooping databases" until these problems are remedied.

It adds: "Whitehall departments and many large private sector companies all claim to work to the "highest standards" and that the data privacy and security breaches are treated 'very seriously'".

However, the source claims that despite these assurances these IT security issues "keep happening again and again and again".

Earlier this month, the Guardian claimed it has footage which show the monitoring methods used around the UK on protestors and journalists in order to store their information on criminal intelligent systems.

New research from Connect found that, on average, it takes businesses that use backup tapes take 11.6 hours to retrieve and restore files. Connect is now recommending that SMEs switch to online backup.