[iwar] [fc:Net.snooping.laws.'too.costly']

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2002-02-16 22:56:45


Return-Path: <sentto-279987-4491-1013928999-fc=all.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com>
Delivered-To: fc@all.net
Received: from 204.181.12.215 [204.181.12.215] by localhost with POP3 (fetchmail-5.7.4) for fc@localhost (single-drop); Sat, 16 Feb 2002 22:59:08 -0800 (PST)
Received: (qmail 29944 invoked by uid 510); 17 Feb 2002 06:56:50 -0000
Received: from n7.groups.yahoo.com (216.115.96.57) by all.net with SMTP; 17 Feb 2002 06:56:50 -0000
X-eGroups-Return: sentto-279987-4491-1013928999-fc=all.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com
Received: from [216.115.97.166] by n7.groups.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 17 Feb 2002 06:56:39 -0000
X-Sender: fc@red.all.net
X-Apparently-To: iwar@onelist.com
Received: (EGP: mail-8_0_2); 17 Feb 2002 06:56:38 -0000
Received: (qmail 17431 invoked from network); 17 Feb 2002 06:56:38 -0000
Received: from unknown (216.115.97.167) by m12.grp.snv.yahoo.com with QMQP; 17 Feb 2002 06:56:38 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO red.all.net) (12.232.72.152) by mta1.grp.snv.yahoo.com with SMTP; 17 Feb 2002 06:56:38 -0000
Received: (from fc@localhost) by red.all.net (8.11.2/8.11.2) id g1H6ujN22204 for iwar@onelist.com; Sat, 16 Feb 2002 22:56:45 -0800
Message-Id: <200202170656.g1H6ujN22204@red.all.net>
To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List)
Organization: I'm not allowed to say
X-Mailer: don't even ask
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL3]
From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
X-Yahoo-Profile: fcallnet
Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com
Delivered-To: mailing list iwar@yahoogroups.com
Precedence: bulk
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:iwar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 22:56:45 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [iwar] [fc:Net.snooping.laws.'too.costly']
Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Net snooping laws 'too costly'
 
Ministers want access to data going back seven years


By BBC News Online's Jane Wakefield

Extensive snooping laws could put internet service providers out of
business, an expert has warned.

Tim Snape, an influential member of the Internet Service Providers'
Association (ISPA), said the law would drive up costs.

He was speaking at ISPCON, a conference for the internet industry held in
London this week. 

Mr Snape, who runs a small internet service in West Dorset, believes laws
requiring ISPs to keep traffic information on all their users for up to
seven years will prove far too costly for many smaller firms.

Hidden costs 

Potentially every school, every newsagent and every Pizza Hut will also have
to keep data on customers for seven years

Tim Snape, ISPA member
The law, part of the government's controversial Regulation of Investigatory
Powers Act (RIPA) and its Anti-Terrorism Act, is due to come in to force
shortly. 

It is intended to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to catch
criminals and terrorists who use new technology.

However, Mr Snape believes the cost of implementing the law will put up ISPs
costs by around 15%, driving smaller firms out of business.

"In order to comply, ISPs will need to employ personnel who can trawl
through data. This person will have to be a technical expert and a legal
expert and simply doesn't exist.

"Even if they did they will be very expensive," he said.

The government has made provision for ISPs to recover the costs of
implementing the data retention laws but this will reveal hidden costs of
its own, said Mr Snape.

"In order to recover costs, ISPs will need to first demonstrate they have
incurred them which will require an audit and an accountant fee of £6,000,"
he said. 

Privacy implications

Mr Snape estimates that the information the government requires from
customers will amount to around 20 CDs of data per day.

One solution would be to hand this data straight over to law enforcement
agencies, but while this would take a burden of responsibility off of ISPs,
Mr Snape does not think this would not be a good idea.

"It looks attractive but it is very dangerous because of the civil liberties
implications," he said.

"Potentially every school, every newsagent and every Pizza Hut will also
have to keep data on customers for seven years and that would have dreadful
implications for privacy."

All activity on the net, including e-mails received and sent, websites
visited and downloaded information, could potentially be spied on.

------------------
http://all.net/ 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2002-12-31 02:15:03 PST