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Data Retention Should Last One Year, US Gov't Tells Australia

Posted by timothy on from the governments-tend-toward-such-things dept.

mask.of.sanity writes "The United States and Australia will enter bilateral talks in an attempt to unify controversial policies that would force internet providers to retain logs on the online habits of citizens. The US has urged Australia to take a moderate approach as it drafts its legislation and said it should not keep logs for longer than a year. Some EU nations keep the logs for as long as five years, although European nations disagree over the need for the plan." And of course, that's also how long we should keep recordings of everyone's phone calls, and copies of their (opened) mail, too.

9 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. This is bullshit by DMJC · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am an Australian citizen, and the government should not retain any online data about me. If they don't like that then they can go jump off a cliff. I will not be voting for any political party that supports data retention in the next election.

  2. Here's the map.. by headkase · · Score: 5, Informative

    On Techdirt. It's a censorship and surveillance map. Notice how Australia already shares the dubious distinction of spying on their Citizens with Russia? Of course we're spied on here to but not to the same degree.

    --
    Shh.
    1. Re:Here's the map.. by dbIII · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Where do you think Australia gets the tried and tested surveillance technology from? Are you really sure you are not spied on to the same degree if not more?
      You make think your agencies are fluffy vegans but reality is a carnivore tasting everything that comes down the wires it has access to.

  3. How about this? by umaynome · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How about if the US just stops telling everyone else what to do?

    1. Re:How about this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      The headline was written to troll you. The Australian government's position is already the same as that of the United States; the quote from the Australian attorney general shows him citing the United States as an ally in the fight against excessive data retention periods. There's nothing except that bad headline to indicate some sort of policy incursion by the US.

  4. Reasonable Suspicion and Probable Cause by TheSpoom · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...are apparently thrown out the window when the magic word "Internet" starts getting used.

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    It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
    - E. Debs
  5. I work in the field of data protection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    ...and let me tell you, one-year retention is EXPENSIVE. It kinda makes me laugh at the politicians who demand things like this, while they have no idea what such a system entails. Maybe the Australian gov't was planning on financing the tape libraries required to hold the PBs of logs generated every month by Australian citizens?

  6. Re:A bit of a problem, for anyone named "Bruce" by TapeCutter · · Score: 4, Informative

    "Sheila" is not a name it's a gender, the word is thought to be derived from this celtic god.

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    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  7. Re:A bit of a problem, for anyone named "Bruce" by tehcyder · · Score: 4, Funny

    quaff down your Foster's.

    You are obviously not Australian!

    Fosters - the beer Australians wont drink

    Australians in the past would drink their own piss if you told them it had alcohol in it. Now they just export it, the crafty buggers.

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    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it