Local officials support U.S. plan to save Web data
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/14733031.htm

Some local law enforcement officials said Friday they
support a U.S. Justice Department proposal that would
require Internet companies to save records of people's
Web activity for up to two years, however none could
recall a case that was stymied from a lack of online data.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director
Robert Mueller began discussing a proposal May 26 with
companies such as Google, Microsoft, Verizon and Comcast
that would force them to save data relating to Web searches
and e-mail exchanges -- but not the content of e-mails.
Discussions between Justice Department officials,
company representatives and privacy experts continued Friday.

But privacy experts and Internet companies worry that
large stores of information could be a tempting target
for identity thieves. And the proposal could prove costly,
as companies would need to spend money on software,
hardware and physical storage space.

Local law enforcement officials contacted by the Mercury News
said they were not aware of any investigations or legal cases
that had been thwarted because a company had not retained
crucial Internet data.

While companies are not legally required to keep Internet
data unless they are contacted by a government agency,
they often keep records for periods of time for various
business reasons.

``Information is very valuable,'' said Santa Cruz
District Attorney Bob Lee.

Deirdre Mulligan, a law and public-policy expert at the
University of California-Berkeley, said the need for
information to catch and prosecute criminals should be
evaluated within the context of reports that federal
intelligence agents have been secretly reviewing
personal data in a wholesale fashion. Among the allegations:
The National Security Agency has been collecting the
telephone calling records of millions of Americans,
as part of its anti-terrorism efforts.

``If we have a surveillance camera on every single street
corner and in every office, if we monitor every telephone
conversation, certainly it will be easier to catch criminals,''
she said.
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