Web Privacy Laws tightened for US Internet companies

Thanks to 9/11 the world is definitely been a different place since that day. The world over, security laws had been tightened. The Internet too has become increasingly critical to terrorism investigation. In a recent development, top law enforcement officials have asked top Internet firms to save data of transactions of individual Internet users for up to two years.

The intention is to monitor use of Internet and better track down people indulging in child pornography and terrorist activity. With this new directive, all major Internet providers will not just keep track of your preferences at various web sites and a history of where all you went but also a track of your Email traffic and Web searches. This requirement has come up due to the fact that a large number of investigations have not gotten anywhere because of a lack of data.
Mr Dave McClure, president of the U.S. Internet Industry Association said "The issue for us is not whether we retain data, but we want to see it done right. Our concerns are who pays for it, what data is retained, and if it is retained legally without violating federal laws and subscriber agreements."

Google spokesman Steve Langdon said "We believe (data retention and preservation) proposals deserve careful review and must consider the legitimate interests of individual users, law enforcement agencies, and Internet companies," While companies like AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft cooperated with the government, they have made it clear that their assistance was limited to ensure that the users privacy was not violated.

While there is no denying that keeping such records may well help find that missing child faster or foil a bomb attack, it is important to remember that National Security is being achieved at the cost of compromising individuals privacy? Is that the American way of life we all know so well? I doubt it.