Australian Government Puts Data Retention Plans On Hold: Report

The National Security Agency isn’t the most popular government organisation in the US (and indeed the world) right now, thanks to its rather troubling obsession with collecting all of the things. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), is doing its best to keep up with its American counterpart, but its plans are going to have to wait, with news that the government isn’t quite ready to jump off the privacy deep end.

ASIO’s push for internet service provides and phone companies to hold onto user’s records for “up to two years” has been curtailed for the time being, according to a story penned yesterday by the Sydney Morning Herald’s David Wroe. Citing a “senior source”, the article states that the government isn’t interested in a “data-retention scheme ‘at this stage’”.

With traditional ways of communicating, such as the humble phone call, diminishing as technology provides faster, cheaper and more anonymous methods, ASIO is more interested in keeping tabs on people using services such as Skype.

It’s mentioned in the story that providers “do not typically keep records of individual communications”, a fact ASIO would like to change. Reportedly the government is waiting on a Senate inquiry on the Telecommunications Interception and Access Act before making any decisions.

[SMH]


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