Europe’s Plan to Track Phone and Net Use

European governments are preparing legislation to require companies to keep detailed data about people’s Internet and phone use that goes beyond what the countries will be required to do under a European Union directive. The NY Times reports.

"They argue that after the terrorist bombings in Spain and Britain, they needed better and longer data storage from companies handling Europe’s communications networks.

For instance, a draft law in the Netherlands would go further than the European Union requires, by requiring phone companies to save records of a caller’s precise location during an entire mobile phone conversation. ... In Germany, it could become illegal to pay cash for prepaid cellphone accounts.

European Union countries have until 2009 to put the Data Retention Directive into law, so the proposals seen now are early interpretations. But some people involved in the issue are concerned about a shift in policy in Europe, which has long been a defender of individuals’ privacy rights."

emily | 7:43 AM | News, Buzz |
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