OzLog: Unlimited Private Data Retention For Australia? 54
AHuxley writes "Australia would like to follow the EU down the 'European Directive on Data Retention' path. Law enforcement agencies may have the option to request a log of all a users of interest telco usage without any review or time limits. From the article: 'The proposal — known popularly as ‘OzLog’ — first came to light in June 2010, when AGD confirmed it had been examining the European Directive on Data Retention (PDF) to consider whether it would be beneficial for Australia to adopt a similar regime. The directive requires telcos to record data such as the source, destination and timing of all emails and telephone calls – even including internet telephony.'"
Re:IF it can be done it will be done (Score:4, Interesting)
These people have no idea at all. I have younger relatives who don't have an email address at all, preferring to do everything via social networks. Then there is of course Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo et al.
Then there are tools like this Track Me Not http://cs.nyu.edu/trackmenot/ [nyu.edu]. Tools like this will extend to every communications medium to flood records with junk connections, basically multiply by a factor of thousands the information to be stored.
Computers are great at filtering and correlating data, they are even better at creating junk data making any filtering and correlation impossible, GIGO.
Only hurt those at the bottom rung... (Score:4, Interesting)
This will affect those stupid enough to use their ISP's email address, and call on their normal landline or contract phone.
Others will use IRC channels, (occasionally) instant messaging, cycle through disposable or free web-mail accounts, use pre-paid no-contract mobiles using forged details, or just keep bribing those handling the data - just as they've done before.
In fact this really is just theatre with a few headlining arrests to come... (which will be arranged through the previous wiretaps, investigation, and existing lawful methods)
Are you that delusional (Score:3, Interesting)
You do NOT have a right to commit a crime and calling your drug dealer is NOT something that society wants you to get away with.
If society wanted people to be able to commit crimes, it wouldn't have created the police and spend billions on funding for it. It would simply have kept anarchy. The police instead have been given powers to track criminals down and this has always meant powers to track people and communication. Why should your phone logs NOT be available after a court order has been issued for them?
That is the problem with this entire debade, you got complete and utter nutters who somehow thinkt that the general public is on the side of criminals in their cat and mouse game with the police and is rooting for criminals to get away with crimes.
Allt he provisions of "innocent until proven guilty" and provisions against illegal searches are there to protect the innocent, NOT the guilty. Saying you don't want the police to be able to find out about your crimes might work on some of the /. populace who have lost all touch with reality but it just hampers people who really care about privacy of INNOCENT people.
I think that reasonable people who agree that crime should be punished but that we don't want to create an uncontrollable police state, that we should focus on creating proper procedures with check and balances for dealing with our changing society. Log internet data the same as call data already is but make it that the police must get a warrant for a limitted time that will become a matter of public record after a set time so we know who was investigated and why so we can see if it was for legit or illegitimate purposes.
But just a blanket pardon for all criminal behavior, that will never fly and any party that is associated with such claims will loose in an election because once again, no matter what some here might claim, the average citizen does NOT think it right for you to call your drug dealer.
And if you want to live in a society with no rules, Somalia is that away. Have fun, nobody here will miss you.