Data retention for MySpace?
p2p news / p2pnet: In April, Diana DeGette proposed legislation to compel ISPS to adopt data retention, “to aid in criminal investigations, including ones involving child abuse,” says CNET News.
“Now DeGette and some of her colleagues in the House of Representatives are suggesting that social-networking sites should be required to do the same thing,” it says.
And Michael Angus, executive vp of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Interactive Media, which owns MySpace, says said he agrees.
“As a media company, Fox is very committed to data retention,” he’s quoted as saying. “It helps us police piracy.”
However, so-called “piracy” is far from being the only problem. Sexual predators have also identified MySpace and similar sites as hunting grounds.
Meanwhile, CNET points out the European Union has already approved data retention for Net, phone VoIP providers and that the Bush administration has endorsed the idea.
Tellingly, “In those meetings, Justice Department representatives went beyond the argument that data retention was necessary to protect children – and claimed it would aid in terrorism investigations as well,” says the story, going on:
“There is more you can do,” DeGette said. “You can do algorithms that will go beyond just the date of birth that they register, to start to weed out some of the underage users.”
She also called for the companies to participate in a “national public service program” to distribute an educational video.
See:
CNET News – Congress targets social-networking sites, June 29, 2006
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