Whilst apparently resisting calls to rush through more anti-terrorism legislation in the wake of last weeks London bombs, Charles Clarke intends to push the emergency meeting of EU security ministers this week to adopt data retention plans which would force ISPs and communications companies to retain traffic data for three years. The UK government had been twisting arms originally to enforce a 7 year data retention regime across Europe but had compromised recently assuming they would only be able to get one year retention proposals through.
Somebody really needs to explain to these ministers in simple terms what the proposals would mean in practical terms. Huge expense for the industry, which would presumably want some kind of compensation from the state. Plus a vast increase in communications data noise. To find the needle gems in the data haystack you need to employ enough smart people with appropriately refined searching and targetting techniques and tools. You don't build a bigger barn and fill it with infinitely more hay. It might look impressive but your already over-stretched intelligence folks are now searching a much bigger haystack for the same number of needles.
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