Cyber Law and Privacy – Is it going to change the game once again?
There are a lot of things on your personal computer, private things and things that are nobody else’s business. Bank account numbers, private emails, and all sorts of other things. Similarly, when you go online to search for various things, that is your problem, maybe you are planning to go to the movies, go out to dinner or buy a gift. It’s really nobody else’s business. Unfortunately, the authorities want you to believe that it is your business.
Well, that’s a really scary thought, especially after the scandal of tabloids listening to the voicemails of the families of murder victims in England. Let’s discuss all of this for a moment, okay?
There was an interesting article on SlashDot (News for Geeks recently) titled “Law Enforcement Still Wants Mandatory ISP Log Retention” published by Soulskill on July 12, 2011 which quotes Schwit1 from CNET, who said;
Law enforcement officials plan to back a proposed federal law that would require ISPs to store records about their customers for 18 months, and a National Sheriffs Association board member says ISPs don’t store customer records. customers long enough. data retention time and inconsistency between retention from company to company significantly hampers law enforcement’s ability to identify predators when they come across child pornography.” They want available stored records used to prosecute any type of crime.
Okay, I want to collect and prosecute bad guys and wrongdoers as much as anyone else. I have no use for drug dealers, child molesters, murderers, or anyone else who might create heinous crimes against humanity. However, I also know that in our Constitution our personal belongings should not be searched or seized without our permission. And no government or police official can enter his home and see his personal belongings, personal diary or anything else he owns.
So why is it okay to order ISPs and cloud computing companies to keep data and personal information, even when you’ve deleted it or don’t want that information collected? Yes, I don’t doubt that it could help solve crimes, and it would be nice to solve crimes, I really think so. But certainly not at the expense of personal freedom, this is still the United States of America. And if the National Sheriffs Association is able to push for such a law, one might wonder exactly how they are helping or protecting the American people.
After all, the National Sheriff’s Association is supposed to protect people and protect their rights, and they even swear to uphold the law and the constitution, so may I ask why they’re pushing to take away citizens’ rights and go against the law? from the earth? I find this fascinating. I also find it quite worrying, and if you love liberty and freedom you understand that. In fact, I hope you will please consider all of this and think about it.