The British public does not trust the government to look after its data, and is scared the so-called Snooper's Charter will allow the police to secretly access people's computers - even though such powers already exist.

Security firm Venafi found that 69 per cent of UK citizens think the government already abuses its powers to access data on citizens, while 76 per cent are concerned the Snooper's Charter - formally known as the Investigatory Powers Bill - will increase its powers to gain access to the contents of private digital communications, such as emails and text messages.

Additionally, 70 per cent believe that powers such as those contained in the Snooper's Charter would be abused if they came into force, and the same percentage is against the government being allowed to force technology companies to put their customers' data at risk by creating encryption backdoors.

Despite this high level of mistrust, the majority of respondents (69 per cent) felt that they are better off in the UK than the US in terms of law enforcement's ability to access citizens' data.

However, this trust may be misplaced.

Under the existing UK legislation, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), law enforcement can already compel individuals, including the heads of companies that hold data on individuals, to hand over data without first having to get a warrant from a judge.