News

Government told: "Drop Data Retention!"

The All-Party Internet Group (APIG)last night released its report into data retention. The basic conclusion: the government should dump its plans for data retention and instead adopt a policy of data preservation.

The difference is that data preservation (which is current US policy, according to an FBI staffer who was present at the launch) merely requires an ISP to keep data on its servers when specifically requested to do so.

Data retention, on the other hand, requires ISPs to keep everything just in case it may later be needed someday.

Bob Ainsworth, Minister of State for the Home Office, who spoke at the launch, and John Gamble, chair of thedata communications strategy group for the Association of Chief Police Officers, both insisted, however, that data retention is a key necessity in the fight against terrorism and organised crime.

ISPs came out against data retention last year on the grounds of costs and also the fact that the industry wants clarification about issues of liability raised by the interplay between the Data Protection Act, ATCS, and the notice and takedown policies in place to deal with illegal material reported by the Internet Watch Foundation.

APIG was co-chaired by Richard Allan, MP for Sheffield Hallam and the Liberal Democrats' spokesman on IT issues. You can find the report here.

More in net.wars on Friday.