If a law enforcement trade association gets its way, a federal law will require internet service providers to maintain logs of all web addresses customers visit for 18 months. The information would be used to prosecute crimes.
CNET quotes a Virginia sheriff's comments during a Tuesday U.S. House of Representatives hearing on the issue:
The limited data retention time and lack of uniformity among retention from company to company significantly hinders law enforcement's ability to identify predators when they come across child pornography.
Other bills pushing for similar mandates have been introduced in the last five years, but those efforts were shot down due to concerns that they violated civil liberties.
What role do you think ISPs should play in helping law enforcement officers maintain online evidence?
Police: Internet providers must keep user logs [CNET via Slashdot]
4 comments:
I think it smells of big brother and intrusion of people lives! I think there are a lot more problems out there with gangs and drugs and I think that is where law enforcement should concentrate.
I'm not for it. It's a violation of our civil liberties. Americans too often give up freedom for perceived security.
I agree, this is an invasion of privacy and sounds very expensive to ISPs. Also there have been many abuses of these monitoring tactics by gov. employees checking on old girl/boy friends, wives and husbands, neighbors and the thin blue line protects these crimes.
If you can't force the population to accept another 300,000 police officers and if you just don't have enough police/government surveillance, then the next best thing is to force civilians to "cooperate" with police. Or else. You think its JUST child predators they would like to track??? LOL!!! They KNOW very few people will come out AGAINST catching child predators. Its the PERFECT ruse.
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