August 2010 - Web Snoop document
Web Snoop document blacked out.
In an extraordinary day for the Internet and personal privacy in Australia, a document requested under the Freedom of Information Act by the Sydney Morning Herald has been supplied with 90% of the document blanked out in black texta.
Green communications spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlum has described the decision to supply the document with the majority blacked out as "extraordinary".
The document detailed a data retention proposal by the Federal Attorney-General's department known as "OzLog".
In the telecommunications industry data retention refers to the storage of call detail records of telephony, internet traffic and transaction data by governments and commercial organisations (Wikipedia def).
This data can be used for traffic analysis and mass surveillance.
Analysing the retained data would allow governments to identify the location of individuals, their associates and members of a group
The Federal Attorney General's department have been considering a data retention policy similar to the European Directive on Data Retention that requires ISPs to record information on phone calls and emails including the sender and receiver, the date, time etc.
This data retention policy would apply to all Australians and was described in a document handed to industry in a secret briefing held in March of this year.
It was this briefing document that Fairfax applied for under the Freedom Of Information Act. Industry sources have flagged the potential for the new data retention regime to record a users complete browsing history.
While the office of the Attorney General has now denied that the proposed data retention scheme would involve recording user's web browsing history industry sources remain sceptical.
Industry groups such as Electronic Frontiers Australia and Internet Industry Association have commented in recent interviews and newspaper articles about the proposed new scheme being transparent and full public debate being necessary.
Perhaps they should call Claudia Hernandez, Legal Officer at the Federal Attorney General's Department who wrote the following to Fairfax and the SMH justifying the heavily censored document that releasing some sections "may lead to premature unnecessary debate and could potentially prejudice and impede government decision making".
Colin Jacobs, spokesman for Electronic Frontiers Australia quoted in the same SMH article 23rd July says that the onus was now on government to "explain what data they need, what problem it solves and, just as importantly, why it can't be done in an open process".
Some examples of the censorship in the data retention document requested under FOI.
One industry source was quoted "Australians should be very afraid" and I think they're right.
Read the excellent articles on data retention and the cover up at the SMH website under the technology section and at ZDnet.
www.smh.com.au - Choose technology.
If the government has its way they'll know what we are thinking before we do. Mr Floppy is hanging up his mouse and keyboard for the moment. Thanks to all those people who have read the column over the years.
The goal has always been to explain breaking trends and what we need to understand as we embrace technology.
Editor's note
I have always found the Mr Floppy articles right up to the minute about things pertinent to the rapidly changing scene in things electronic, cyber space, telephony, equipment and software.
Although naturally disappointed for our readers about the sabbatical which Mr Floppy is taking, it will simply heighten our anticipation for informative and honest articles when the column recommences.
Pictured below is the blacked out document which is an insult to us all.
