The Sun reports that Newham Council are requiring visitors to 30 blocks of flats to sign in with a concierge.
It is claimed that the measure will reduce anti social behaviour. But criics see it as an invasion of privacy.
The Chairman of the Tenants Association at College Point, Matthew Jee, said:
"I'm sure that family violence will result people will be able to see who their partners have signed in."
The report says:
Tenants in the 123 flats say they got just 18 hours' notice from Labour-run Newham Council that guests would have to be signed in by a concierge. Andre Ryan, 41, said: "People will know when someone's in or not, making burglaries more likely."
Nick Pickles, of Big Brother Watch, says:
Despite finding the time and resources to implement the guest register, the council failed to fix the locks on doors for several years. Big Brother Watch knows which one would stop criminals and it isn't a list of who visited who.
Yet again a council has jumped for an intrusive solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Throwing civil liberties aside does not help create stronger communities, yet Newham Council seem intent on alientating residents with a total disregard for their privacy.
This is the kind of policy you'd expect in East Germany, not East London. Big Brother Watch is joining residents opposed to the scheme in calling for it to be abandoned immediately.