EU ISP Data Retention

I received the following statement via email from EU Member of Parliament Marco Cappato on legislation mandating data retention for European ISP companies:

“The EU is giving the bureaucratic and illiberal answer of general surveillance to the demand for security from terrorism. The reading of sept. 11 tragedy given by major security analysts – who denounced the lack of human intelligence much more that of data collection technology – is therefore disregarded, and EU ministerial offices prepare the ground for a EU legal basis to implement generalised and systematic surveillance of citizens’ communications. The European Union a-democratic decision-making process could soon bring in a situation in which the national appetites for increased expenditures on surveillance technologies will find satisfaction in closed-door meetings of ministerial officials in Brussels. Ministers and Governments will then follow, with their demagogy on security.

Far from bringing more security to citizens, this move is already diverting energy and resources from more effective intelligence activity.”

Cappato has been a leader in the opposition to this type of mandatory data retention over the last year. He helped spearhead an international campaign opposed to such Big Brother tactics. Yours truly signed onto a letter connected to the Cappato’s opposition campaign. Of course, the U.S. would never attempt to force American ISP companies to comply with similar measures. Why do that when you can just track everything yourself? For more information on EU data retention, click here.