Bill proposes ISPs, Wi-Fi keep logs for police
Republican politicians on Thursday called for a sweeping new federal law that would require all Internet providers and operators of millions of Wi-Fi access points, even hotels, local coffee shops, and home users, to keep records about users for two years to aid police investigations.
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"While the Internet has generated many positive changes in the way we communicate and do business, its limitless nature offers anonymity that has opened the door to criminals looking to harm innocent children," U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said at a press conference on Thursday. "Keeping our children safe requires cooperation on the local, state, federal, and family level."
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Translated, the Internet Safety Act applies not just to AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and so on--but also to the tens of millions of homes with Wi-Fi access points or wired routers that use the standard method of dynamically assigning temporary addresses. (That method is called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, or DHCP.)
Privacy concerns aside (which is not to say I discount them at all - I love the 4th amendment even more than Jay loves the 2nd amendment), how the frak is this even supposed to work? Everyone's WAP gets a firmware update for the uplink to Nanny State HQ?
I almost expect something this insane from feckless liberals (and I think they have tried it before). But does this represent the GOP's new idea of small government? Government just small enough to fit inside my Linksys WRT54G? Whatever happened to good parenting keeping kids out of harm's way?
I'll bet the MPAA and RIAA are at least partly responsible for this. They are still pushing the whole "piracy is costing us billions OMGzor!" bullshit. And then of course you have all the old men in gov't who fall for the "for the children!" argument. And as the article states, the FBI is all over it. But hey, if they can legally record every cell phone in America, why is your router any different?
ReplyDeleteGood point, on the MPAA/RIAA angle. They should FOAD/DIAF.
ReplyDeleteI love the name for the bill... It brings bullshit sloganeering to new heights (or depths): "Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth Act." Boy, it really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?
"if they can legally record every cell phone in America, why is your router any different?"
ReplyDeleteThat is scary because you are right.
"Government just small enough to fit inside my Linksys WRT54G? "
ReplyDeleteHahaha I like that.
How about Government just small enough to fit in my iPod?
Politicians, and Republicans in particular, don't understand technology.
ReplyDelete