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DOJ Wants ISPs to Retain All Customer Records
doubledoh writes "CNET reports that the Department of Justice is 'quietly shopping around' the idea of requiring ISP's to retain all data of their customer's online activities for at least several months. The SEC already mandates that publicly traded firms retain all company emails for at least 2 years, but it looks like John Q. Public may also soon be subject to similar Constitutional violations. Big Brother, here we come."
They don't need to log everything in the beginning. The goal is not to take all our freedoms and privacies all at once. They just want to get the ball rolling. They will ask the ISPs to log a totally unreasonable amount of data knowing they will settle for a lesser but still privacy killing amount. Then every few years as storage technology improves, more and more will be logged.
This beautifully refined process of slowly chipping away at our rights always begins like this. Figure out a way to kill this right now or you never will.
Brokerage firms are regulated by the SEC. The SEC has long mandated that brokerage firms retain ALL communications with and about customers (including phone calls and paper mail) in order to allow the SEC to investigate violations of SEC rules. These searchs are carried out with the knowledge of the investigated firms. The only time this would affect a customer's privacy would be if there was a suspicion of an SEC rule violation, such as the Martha Stewart case.
Allowing for searching of ISP logs is much more a violation of customers' privacy. There is no notification to the customer, the Justice department keeps asking for the ability to review these records without issuing a subpeona and without any oversight.
Presenting the ISP logs as an extension of the SEC rules is both incorrect and dangerous. The SEC rules are primarily for the protection of customers and are well founded Constitutionally. The ISP snooping is not.
That's why you should never allow the government to limit your freedom "a bit" because inevitably that "bit" will become full blown anal rape.
This guy knew what he was talking about...so did the rest of the guys that drafted the Constitution. It's too bad most of their wisdom is ignored today.I think, therefore I doh.
How is this a surprise? Go look on google groups and see some other quiet actions being taken. Many people who ordered from chemical suppliers, even frickin plastic tubes and such from many years ago are getting threatening letters. These are legitimate citizens who are into chemistry (many licensed) getting pushed around by the DOJ. The government has MANY regulations that cost businesses a fortune to comply with. If you want to get paranoid, you could say that "the system" does these things because that way the poor man will NEVER be able to get rich, because only the rich will be able to afford to comply. So, if they can comply, and their competition is reduced in the process (i.e. smaller businesses), that is all the more bank in their pockets. Personally, this is rediculous. If someone wants to commit crimes, they will find a way. This just reduces our liberties and privacy. Isn't this really what the terrorists wanted all along? A paranoid country spending tons of money on the mere thought of an attack? wide spread panics? companies going out of business due to new regulations? This is what the terrorists wanted. All it took was 19 guys to turn us into our own worst enemy.
Those are checkpoints, and generally don't need to register information. Yes, you can be recorded by a camera or strip searched, but that is quite different from having your driving habits profiled and your possessions recorded in a log.
Two months of Internet data? I consider that roughly as invasive as having an agent follow me around for two months. Seriously, these days I read my news online. I use e-mail for communication. I look up anything I want to on google instead of the library. I check out products I want to buy. Two months of IRC logs I don't even want to talk about. As long as I am doing nothing wrong, that is NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS. Sigh. Building a massive profile database is simply wrong.
Free state:
1. Suspicion/reason for inquery
2. Get court order
3. Gather evidence
4. Prosecute
Police state:
1. Gather massive profile
2. Get court order*
3. Review profile for evidence
4. Prosecute
*optional
Do you remember the time, when the difference between us and the East block was that in the East block, the government kept a massive profile on everyone? When the difference was that you could travel around, without the government recording all your movements? he founding fathers never imagined a situation like today. Then, people had to watch people. Now, machines watch people. I am sure that if they had, they would have made an amendment limiting the right of government to do so ex facto, before the fact.
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
One day, after my application for a Parental License is approved by the DOJ, I hope my kid doesn't ask me, "Daddy, what was freedom like like when you were a boy?"
Or the even worse question, "Why didn't anyone try to stop them from taking away your freedom?"
I guess I'll just have to reply, "The Ministry of Peace needed to combat terrorists."
I think, therefore I doh.
So are the DOJ offering to pay for all this?
.. call it an information tax for anyone who wants to get into the ISP business.
No, You and I are going to pay for all of this.
Along with paying for the occupation of Afghanistan, Iraq plus all the other places the US currently occupies, and most likely will soon attack, invade and occupy, specifically Iran and North Korea, all in the name of democracy and because "They hate our freedom"(tm)
Its like a hidden tax
Yes, it's called "Taxation without representation"
Welcome to the New World Order