US Attorney General to ISPs: You Must Spy
Wednesday, September 20, 2006 by Zoomba | Discussion: WinCustomize News
US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales went before Congress this week to urge senators to pass legislation that would require Internet Service Providers to retain logs of customers online activity for at least a year or two for use in police or federal investigations. This lobbying comes amidst the most recent push to regulate online content, specifically that which is considered unsafe for minors.
The proposed data retention rules are strongly supported by law enforcement officials at more or less every level, starting as low as local sheriffs and going all the way to 49 attorneys general. Privacy groups are expected to have a tough time gathering support to oppose any such laws.
Recent months have seen an increased interest in protecting minors online, with lawmakers turning their eyes to social networking sites like MySpace, Xanga and Facebook. Additionally, data retention and analysis regulations are being considered for any organization that receives federal funding, specifically targeted at schools.
Currently, ISPs and other data connectivity providers are only required to retain data for up to 90 days, beyond which they can be deleted. Specifics on how such records should be stored for the proposed 1-2 year period are not yet clear, and will likely pose a significant technological challenge to any service provider or social networking site required to comply.
 |
|
Page 3 of 3 | |
|
|---|
Reply #42 Wednesday, October 25, 2006 2:57 AM
That's just an excuse to take our rights away.
And the coming Police State marches on!!
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
- Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
- Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
- Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
- It's simple, and FREE!
|
|
Page 3 of 3 | |
|
|---|
Reply #41 Sunday, September 24, 2006 6:44 PM
Keep the data longer.
That way there is more chance of it being hacked
and falling into the wrong hands.
~