"Is Big Brother Getting a Step Too Close?"

Originally published 16th September 2005

Recent terrorist attacks have further raised the profile of the EU proposed legislation for data retention by ISP’s and telecommunication companies. The draft directive will require each of the member countries to impose legislation upon ISP’s and telecommunication companies requiring them to save information about the use of their services by members of the public for periods of at least twelve months. Its purpose is the prevention, investigation (and hopefully prosecution) of criminal and terrorist activity by harmonising national rules on retention matters including data security, time periods for retention and who will be allowed access to the retained data. How effective this will be is to some extent in doubt as the draft directive will not extend to those ISP’s outside the European Union with the obvious get outs that this will bring to would be criminals and terrorists.