ISP snoop law goes through
p2pnet.net News:- The European Parliament’s efforts to stop the contentious Framework Decision on Data Retention in its tracks have failed.
Under it, ISPs and telcos will be compelled to collect data on their users.
But, “Individuals involved in organised crime and terrorism will easily find a way to prevent their data from being traced,” says the European Parliament committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in a report.
“Possible ways of doing so include using ‘front men’ to buy telephone cards or switching between mobile phones from foreign providers, using public telephones, changing the IP or e-mail address when using an e-mail service or simply using Internet service providers outside Europe not subject to data retention obligations. If all the traffic data covered by the proposal did indeed have to be stored, the network of a large Internet provider would, even at today’s traffic levels, accumulate a data volume of 20 – 40 000 terabytes.
“This is the equivalent of roughly four million kilometres’ worth of full files, which, in turn, is equivalent to 10 stacks of files each reaching from Earth to the moon.
“With a data volume this huge, one search using existing technology, without additional investment, would take 50 to 100 years. The rapid availability of the data required seems, therefore, to be in doubt.”
LIBE’s pleas to the Council of Ministers to abandon the legislation appear, however, to have fallen on deaf ears, says silicon.com, going on:
The legislation’s draft proposal was introduced jointly by France, Ireland, Sweden and the UK to aid law enforcement in combating terrorist acts, says the story. It will require phone companies and ISPs to retain customer data such as the time, date and location of sent and received emails and phone calls for 12 to 36 months. The content of the communications, however, will not be retained.
The European Commission is also getting involved in the debate, says silicon.com, adding:
It has said it will introduce a new proposal for communications data retention with a different legal basis by the summer.
Regardless of the European legislation, in the UK communication service providers already retain data on customers’ phone calls, emails and web behaviour for one year, thanks to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).
Something you think we should know? tips[at]p2pnet.net
See:-
have failed -’Drop data rentention scheme’, p2pnet, June 9, 2005
silicon.com – Europe to push ahead with digital snooping law, June 9, 2005
June 10th, 2005 at 9:31 am
Couple of things strike me about this….
Firstly, if “Individuals involved in organised crime and terrorism will easily find a way to prevent their data from being traced,” what is the point in storing the data in the first place? Surely this is just one more example of Big Brother snooping on the doings of the average man in the street so they can be oppressed, rather than going for the harder targets of the terrorists and criminals this legislation is designed to assist in the capture of?
Secondly, “phone companies and ISPs are to retain customer data such as the time, date and location of sent and received emails and phone calls for 12 to 36 months. The content of the communications, however, will not be retained.â What’s the bloody point then? Seems a bit pointless to me if evidentially nothing can be proven other than transfer of data took place as opposed to what was contained IN the data.
Which kind of begs another question [based on my growing sense of paranoia] and that is do we believe that the content will not be monitored? Hmmm….
/me goes off to find an ISP in Outer Mongolia…