Darren Pauli reports:
Bilateral talks with the United States to unify data retention legislation could lead to Australia keeping logs of its citizens’ online lives for a year.
The talks, set for July this year, will lay the foundations to unify current data retention plans between the US, Europe and Australia.
Governments have proposed that internet providers retain information on customers including websites visited, online searches and key data required to tie verified account identities to IP addresses. The ideas are being pushed as a means to assist law enforcement within and across national borders.
Some European nations insist the log files should be kept for as long as five years, an idea being reviewed under public consultations as part of Australia’s move to accede to the controversial European Convention on Cybercrime.
However, both the US and Australia consider five years to be excessive, according to Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland.
“It would not be viable in Australia,” McClelland told ZDNet Australia. “We don’t believe that and the US does not believe that.”
Read more on ZDNet (AU)