A Home Office trial using two internet providers to track and collect websites visited by customers has received backlash from privacy campaigners.

The development and trial of surveillance tech by police and internet companies, which logs and stores the web browsing data of every UK citizen, has reportedly been going on for the past two years.

The trial, which was revealed to the public via an obscure regulatory disclosure and a report by Wired, has come under fire from Open Rights Group.

The group, which said the government is testing of “web-spying powers,” have highlighted privacy issues with the trial.

"We should have the right to not have every single click of what we do online hoovered up into a surveillance net on the assumption that there might be criminal activity taking place," said Heather Burns, policy manager at Open Rights Group.

The Home Office’s “spying” power comes from the Investigatory Powers Acts, which has been dubbed the “snoopers’ charter” by critics.

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