Image caption Civil liberties campaigners describe the proposals as a "snooper's charter"

Home Secretary Theresa May has warned that those opposing plans to let police monitor all internet use are "putting politics before people's lives".

The draft Communications Data Bill would mean internet providers having to retain records of all their customers' online activity for 12 months.

Mrs May told The Sun the powers would help police tackle serious organised crime, paedophiles, and terrorists.

Critics call it a "snoopers' charter" bill which infringes civil liberties.

Data Communications Bill The Bill extends the range of data telecoms firms will have to store for up to 12 months

It will include for the first time details of messages sent on social media, webmail, voice calls over the internet and gaming in addition to emails and phone calls

The data includes the time, duration, originator and recipient of a communication and the location of the device from which it is made

It does not include the content of messages - what is being said. Officers will need a warrant to see that

But they will not need the permission of a judge to see details of the time and place of messages provided they are investigating a crime or protecting national security

Four bodies will have access to data: Police, the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, the intelligence agencies and HM Revenue and Customs

Local authorities will face restrictions on the kinds of data they can access

At the moment, the police and intelligence services can get access to information about people's mobile phone use.

The bill would extend those powers to cover email and the internet. The authorities would be able to see details of who communicated with whom, and when and where, but they would not be able to see the content of the message.

Police, the security services, the new National Crime Agency and HM Revenue and Customs would be able to access the data, but the draft Communications Data Bill also gives the Home Secretary the power to extend access to others, such as the UK Border Agency.

Mrs May stressed that the proposal was to store the detail of communications - who talked to who in a Skype internet phone call for example - rather than the content of what was said.

"It is absolutely not government wanting to read everybody's emails - we will not be looking at every web page everybody has looked at," she added.

Mrs May said: "People who say they are against this bill need to look victims of serious crime, terrorism and child sex offences in the eye and tell them why they're not prepared to give the police the powers they need to protect the public.

"Anybody who is against this bill is putting politics before people's lives. We would certainly see criminals going free as a result of this."

There are two parliamentary reports due to be published on the draft bill in the next few days.

Lib Dem sources have told the BBC that party leader Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, might use one of the reports - in which MPs and peers are expected to be critical - as "an opportunity to kill the bill for good".

BBC deputy political editor James Landale said that, in its report, the joint committee on the draft Communications Data Bill would argue that: