U.S. Attorney General Alberto
Gonzalez has further stepped up his efforts for Internet service
providers to save customer records after telling a Senate panel that
Congress should be required to save customer records so they can be
used to fight child pornography – the records could possibly be saved
up to two years. Gonzalez has been meeting with ISPs to try and
convince them that data retention is critical in the battle against
child porn. Most ISPs claim that they discard customer logs after a
period that ranges from several days up to a year.
Gonzales has acknowledged that
company executives have serious concerns that the legislation could
be intrusive and encroach on privacy rights. But the apparent
growing threat of child pornography may temporarily trump customers'
rights.
Critics of data retention
legislation point out that it is costly, invasive, and detrimental to
consumers. When the EU's data retention directive passed last year,
we expressed concerns that civil rights could be "put on the
endangered species list," particularly if the entertainment
industry decides to take advantage. Recent fiascos like AOL's search
query disclosure slip-up reveal the ease with which sensitive
consumer information can find its way into the hands of the public
and generally imply a need for less retention rather than more.
Along with
helping the FBI and other government agencies fight child
pornography, the extended data retention would help with terror
investigations, according to government officials.