Govt wants ISPs to record browsing history

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    Govt wants ISPs to record browsing history


    Posted: 12 Jun 2010

    Companies who provide customers with a connection to the internet may soon have to retain subscriber's private web browsing history for law enforcement to examine when requested, a move which has been widely criticised by industry insiders.


    (Camera video de surveillance
    image by Frédéric Bisson, CC2.0)



    The Attorney-General's Department yesterday confirmed to ZDNet Australia that it had been in discussions with industry on implementing a data retention regime in Australia. Such a regime would require companies providing internet access to log and retain customer's private web browsing history for a certain period of time for law enforcement to access when needed.

    Currently, companies that provide customers with a connection to the internet don't retain or log subscriber's private web browsing history unless they are given an interception warrant by law enforcement, usually approved by a judge. It is only then that companies can legally begin tapping a customer's internet connection.

    In March 2006, the European Union formally adopted its data retention directive (PDF), a directive which the Australian Government said it wished to use as an example if it implemented such a regime.

    "The Attorney-General's Department has been looking at the European Directive on Data Retention, to consider whether such a regime is appropriate within Australia's law enforcement and security context," a statement from the Attorney-General's Department to ZDNet Australia said yesterday. "It has consulted broadly with the telecommunications industry."

    The EU regime requires that the communications providers from certain EU member states retain necessary data as specified in the Directive for a period of between six and 24 months.

    One internet service provider (ISP) source told ZDNet Australia that the Australian regime, if implemented, could go as far as recording each URL a customer visited and all emails.

    That source said such a regime "would be scary and very expensive".

    Another industry source said Australians should "be very f***ing afraid".

    They said the regime being considered by the Australian Government could see data held for much longer than EU Directive time of 24 months — it would be more like five or ten years.

    "They seem quite intent [on implementing the regime] and they keep throwing up the words 'terrorism' and 'paedophiles'," the source said. "We're talking browsing history and emails, way beyond what I would consider to be normal SMS, retaining full browsing history and everything."

    Internet Industry Association (IIA) chief executive officer (CEO) Peter Coroneos also confirmed that the industry was having discussions with the Attorney-General's Department.

    "There has been some preliminary discussions with the Attorney-General's Department about a proposal for a data retention regime in Australia, but I think those discussions are at a very early stage," Coroneos said. He said the IIA hadn't "seen any firm proposals yet from the government".

    "It's more along the lines of [the Attorney-General's Department asking] 'What do you see the issues of being if we were to move to a position similar to the EU'," he said.
    "But as I say, there wouldn't be any intention, I wouldn't think, to move to any policy position on this unless there was a full public debate about the proposal."

    If the idea were to move to a more "serious proposal", Coroneos said the IIA's view would be "to engage not only with the industry but also the community in a proper discussion".

    Electronic Frontier Australia (EFA) chair Colin Jacobs said the regime was "a step too far".

    "At some point data retention laws can be reasonable, but highly-personal information such as browsing history is a step too far," Jacobs said. "You can't treat everybody like a criminal. That would be like tapping people's phones before they are suspected of doing any crime."

    He added that browser history could reveal all sorts of personal information. "And furthermore, the way the internet works, it's a huge amount of data to be kept and it requires some snooping on the part of the ISPs into which [web] pages people are looking at."

    In February, the senate passed a Bill allowing ISPs to intercept traffic as part of "network protection activities". According to an ISP source, it's likely another Bill would be required for a data retention regime to be implemented.

    "It is likely that new legislation will be required to put any [data retention] obligations in place," the source said. "It seems to be early days yet, and we have an election looming, which means there will be some time required to get any new law in place."

    Source....
    Govt wants ISPs to record browsing history - Communications - News
    Posted By: JMH
    12 Jun 2010



  1. Posts : 6,857
    Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1 (desktop)
       #1

    I don't like this idea at all!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 304
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #2

    LOL this Australian government wants to have better internet censorship then the Great Firewall of China.

    I wonder what the knew nickname might be for the Australian firewall?
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 3,028
    Windows 7 Ultimate (x64) SP1
       #3

    Taking bets on how long it takes this thread to be closed due to it becoming a political argument.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,158
    Win7 HP (x64)/Win7 Ultimate (x64)
       #4

    Idle hands are the Devil's playthings - what next !
    Someone is Canberra has a misdirected "bad case of the trots"

    Hope things turn out fine and sensible actions prevail
    Ozi!Ozi!Ozi!
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 2,344
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #5

    Will people be compensated when the data storage is hacked and "ALL" their private details are used for criminal purposes.
    Please don't tell me that won't happen as we all know it will only be a matter of when not if.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 12,364
    8 Pro x64
       #6

    This is just wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 2,651
    W7 RTM Ultimate x64
       #7

    smarteyeball said:
    This is just wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.
    2nd that.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 3,427
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #8

    what!?!? are they having a laugh? Jesus christ and I thought our system was bad..... To quote someone else on here from last week (Think it was Tews but im not sure though)
    The day is coming when we will say "Remember the days when you could do whatever you wanted on the net?" It's coming....
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 1,086
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64.
       #9

    This is absolutely shocking for this kind of spying behaviour to even be considered. You would know more about someone's private life by this method more than what you would if you set a camera up in my living room.

    The internet is what it is because it's nobodys property and has grew with a wanton disregard of the norm. It will be a crying shame the day it it turns into just another tv channel.
      My Computer


 
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