Data retention is a complex and ethically dicey piece of national security legislation that requires careful explanation in order to sell it to the public, right? Nope. The Federal Government just threw some clip art at it for the 2015 Federal Budget.
Image: Getty
In a section headed with the words “Investigating Threats” the government explains metadata retention thusly:
That’s. About. It.
[related title=”GIZMODO ROUNDUP” tag=”bd2015″ items=”1″]There were some words that went with it too, but surely the graphic is for us monkeys who just want to feel safe with programs like data retention, right?
Here are those words:
Retaining metadata is a vital step in keeping us safe from rapidly evolving threats.
Access to metadata is essential to most counter-terrorism investigations and helps our security agencies prevent terrorist acts and prosecute those who seek to commit them. It also plays a key role in detecting and prosecuting other serious crimes, including crimes against children. These changes are in line with the recommendations of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
It’s a confirmation that the government will throw $131 million at the metadata retention scheme over four years, which it says is a 50 per cent contribution.
If we’re going for simple explanations for data retention, here’s a simpler one:
#headdesk pic.twitter.com/EIi8VKUs3V
— Luke Hopewell (@lukehopewell) May 12, 2015