Obama DOJ To Call For ISPs To Track Users For 2 Years

[Patranus]

Computerworld reports that in testimony before Congress the US Department of Justice renewed its call for legislation mandating Internet Service Providers (ISP) retain customer usage data for up to two years because law enforcement authorities are coming up empty-handed in their efforts to go after online predators and other criminals because of the unavailability of data relating to their online activities. 'There is no doubt among public safety officials that the gaps between providers' retention policies and law enforcement agencies' needs, can be extremely harmful to the agencies' investigations,' says Jason Weinstein, deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, adding that data retention is crucial to fighting Internet crimes (PDF), especially online child pornography. Weinstein admits that a data retention policy raises valid privacy concerns however, saying such concerns need to be addressed and balanced against the need for law enforcement to have access to the data. 'Denying law enforcement that evidence prevents law enforcement from identifying those who victimize others online,' concludes Weinstein.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/01/26/0418200/DOJ-Seeks-Mandatory-Data-Retention-For-ISPs

ISPs shouldn't be required to save ANY specific user tracking data.

Whats next, mandatory GPS tracking in cars?

 

[JEDIYoda]

ISPs shouldn't be required to save ANY specific user tracking data.

Why shouldn`t they? Are you by any chance a predator??

 

[Patranus]

Why shouldn`t they? Are you by any chance a predator??

Other than the fact that the government doesn't need a court order to obtain those records?

 

[Blackjack200]

For once I agree with Patranus. ISPs should be prohibited from maintaining those kinds of logs. Also, good job by Weinstein to flog that 'child pornography' button. When your arguments are crap, just inject some emotion.

 

[waggy]

I agree with patranus on this. ISP's shouldnt be tracking users.

NOT to mention o court order to get them?

won't even get into the debate if they can handle doing it.

 

[brandonb]

I don't trust anybody with that name, nor their goals. It probably has nothing to do with child porn.

 

[Lemon law]

It would cost any ISP thousands if not hundreds of thousands just to track and record my online activity, all the web sites I visit, what I download, and I maintain all my internet activities are perfectly legal and legitimate. Now that is just me, multiply that times hundreds of millions of internet users in this country and others, and we are talking trillions and trillions of dollars.

Not only is it an invasion of privacy with little cost benefit ratio, it would make internet access unaffordable for anyone. There is also another potential abuse, because any anonymous tipster could accuse someone they don't like of cybercrime, and the police might waste another few million bucks tracking their internet activity in greater depth.

 

[CPA]

Why shouldn`t they? Are you by any chance a predator??

tapping sarcasm meter...

 

[Scotteq]

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/01/26/0418200/DOJ-Seeks-Mandatory-Data-Retention-For-ISPs

ISPs shouldn't be required to save ANY specific user tracking data.

Whats next, mandatory GPS tracking in cars?

Bar~Code tattoos with different numerical sequences, based on the individual's country of origin. USA starts with '666'.

 

[RedCOMET]

For once I agree with Patranus. ISPs should be prohibited from maintaining those kinds of logs. Also, good job by Weinstein to flog that 'child pornography' button. When your arguments are crap, just inject some emotion.

One slashdot post said
Child porn, Terrorist and Drugs. Thats why the need to do this... and that how govt chps away at our privacy and rights.

 

[piasabird]

How about a right to privacy??

Do you know how much server space this will take?

It would make more sense for ISP's to block viruses and other nere do well programming. That might actually be worth it.

2 years of history for an ISP is like 20 years of information for a normal business. This is just an unfunded mandate that will drive up the cost of business for all ISP's which mean you will have to pay more for your internet? Where do you think this money comes?form??

 

[piasabird]

They will just move their servers outside of the United States to escape the scrutiny of the federal Gestapo!

 

[ElFenix]

i thought the point of identifying growth-inhibiting regulation was to get rid of it, not to enact more of it.

 

[frostedflakes]

Just to be clear, this is talking about DHCP logs, not actually tracking what sites users are visiting and stuff like that. Nevermind the privacy implications, that would be a logistics nightmare for ISPs, I doubt it's even feasible.

Under current law I think ISPs are required to keep DHCP logs for only 90 days. 2 years seems excessive, but six months, something like that I don't think is too unreasonable. I thought I read somewhere that most of the larger ISPs voluntarily keep logs for about this long anyway.

 

[nonlnear]

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/01/26/0418200/DOJ-Seeks-Mandatory-Data-Retention-For-ISPs

ISPs shouldn't be required to save ANY specific user tracking data.

Whats next, mandatory GPS tracking in cars?

They don't really need it in cars when they already have it in cell phones. AFAIK it isn't being used for preemptive tracking yet, but the infrastructure is already in place. No doubt it has been used with warrants for quite some time now.

 

[Texashiker]

The people wanted change, they got change.

Just not the type of change they expected.

This is what happens when people vote a 2 party system.

 

[Double Trouble]

Wait, I thought only that powermonger authoritarian Bush and his henchmen wanted more government control and spying on citizens. Turns out Obama is not much different in that respect, he's pretty much endorsed every single one of the controversial policies under Bush......

 

[nonlnear]

Wait, I thought only that powermonger authoritarian Bush and his henchmen wanted more government control and spying on citizens. Turns out Obama is not much different in that respect, he's pretty much endorsed every single one of the controversial policies under Bush......

To be fair he campaigned on a platform of not repealing any of Bush's new authorities or mandates. I know, I know, he never said that, but that's exactly the point!

 

[Genx87]

How about a right to privacy??

Do you know how much server space this will take?

It would make more sense for ISP's to block viruses and other nere do well programming. That might actually be worth it.

2 years of history for an ISP is like 20 years of information for a normal business. This is just an unfunded mandate that will drive up the cost of business for all ISP's which mean you will have to pay more for your internet? Where do you think this money comes?form??

Big Govt and the Obama administration cant be bothered by such an idea.

 

[NeoV]

here we go, more alarmist bullshit

DHCP logs are already stored by most ISP's for at least this long already

there is really no news here, stop crying about your right to privacy, it's already gone in terms of what you are doing on the internet anyway

 

[feralkid]

here we go, more alarmist bullshit

DHCP logs are already stored by most ISP's for at least this long already

there is really no news here, stop crying about your right to privacy, it's already gone in terms of what you are doing on the internet anyway

But you're denying them their rage fix.

 

[nonlnear]

Big Govt and the Obama administration cant be bothered by such an idea.

I hope you don't mean to imply that Bush or the GOP in general could be bothered by it either!

 

[piasabird]

What is next? Will they have to keep track of purchases and send out a form to the person and the fed and state govt for your online purchases so the states can get their tax?