Feds may require all email to be kept by ISP's

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded from: kam <kam () aversion net>

It will be interesting to see how this story develops...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,56443,00.html

Friday, June 28, 2002
By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos

WASHINGTON - It may sound like a plot device for a futuristic movie,
but the federal government may not be far from forcing Internet
service providers to keep copies of all e-mail exchanges in the
interest of homeland security.

The White House denied a Washington Post report Thursday alleging that
the Al Qaeda terrorist network is working on using online and stored
data to disrupt the workings of power grids, air traffic towers, dams,
and other infrastructure. But a White House official did acknowledge
that Al Qaeda has an interest in developing such abilities.

And it's that interest that has technology circles wondering if the
federal government is going to follow the European Union's lead in
passing legislation that would allow the government to mine data on
customers saved by ISPs.

Last month, the European Union passed a resolution that would require
all ISPs to store for up to seven years e-mail message headers,
Web-surfing histories, chat logs, pager records, phone and fax
connections, passwords, and more.

Already, Germany, France, Belgium, and Spain have drafted laws that
comply with the directive. Technology experts say the U.S. federal
government may try to do the same thing using the vast law enforcement
allowances provided under the USA Patriot Act.

"They drafted the Patriot Act to lower all of the thresholds for the
invasion of privacy," said Gene Riccoboni, a New York-based Internet
lawyer who said he has found loopholes in the anti-terror legislation
that could open up the possibility for an EU-style data retention
provision.

Under the Patriot Act signed into law in October, law enforcement
needs as little as an administrative subpoena to trace names, e-mail
addresses, types of Internet access individuals use, and credit card
numbers used online.

[...snip]

kam



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