If you use Facebook and Twitter or any other social media service, your private data is probably already stored by those companies looking to profit off you. But now, the Australian government wants to mandate that any communication service store a record of everything you do, so it can browse that data looking for suspicious activities related to terrorism.
The Australian reports that a new consultation paper on the amended legislation suggests that “any entity that provides communications services to the Australian public” should be required to retain data on customer and traffic, for later access by law enforcement ostensibly searching for information on persons suspected of crime or terrorism offences.
With wording like that, it’s not just your internet service provider that will be storing data on your online activities. Facebook, Twitter, Viber, Skype, Tinder, Whatsapp — all those “entities” would be required to keep at least some track of what you’re doing, who you’re talking to, what you’re saying and what you’re looking at. Not only does that sound like it will require a lot of storage, it also sounds like it’s rife with opportunity for misuse or unauthorised access. [The Australian]