Posted: 11th Jun, 2004 By: MarkJ
The UK currently adopts a voluntary data retention plan, yet many ISP's have begun to worry that the government is preparing to introduce a mandatory rule via the back door:
The UK is one of four countries to back an EU draft framework decision on mandatory retention of communications data, despite already enforcing a voluntary code of practice through the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act (ATCS). The proposed laws would force all European ISPs to retain detailed Web traffic logs matched with sensitive user data, so that electronic communications could be traced to a particular individual.
But experts within the new media industry have accused the Government of 'policy laundering', pushing laws through Brussels to ensure that all European nations put same financial burden on ISPs.
'There's concern within the ISP community that this is a Euro-wash,' said an industry insider. 'The Government would find it difficult politically to achieve mandatory data retention through UK law, so it's going through Europe instead.'
The NewMediaZero item notes that ISP's have a grace period until December 2005, after which time the government is free to change or remove the voluntary code.