Nope, not kidding. From USAToday –
Top law enforcement officials have asked leading Internet companies to keep histories of the activities of Web users for up to two years to assist in criminal investigations of child pornography and terrorism, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller outlined their request to executives from Google, Microsoft, AOL, Comcast, Verizon and others Friday in a private meeting at the Justice Department. The department has scheduled more discussions as early as Friday. Last week’s meeting was first reported by CNET, an online news service.
Let’s hope Google is not the only company to say “no” this time.
It is only a matter of time until they will be asking for an RFID chip implant so we can log onto our computers.
It’s easy to be an idealist. Reality demands dropping the dream of a private utopia and demands more pragmatism.
Terrorists use search engines as do child molesters.
If we need a reminder of who are enemy is look to the arrests of terror suspects in the UK and Canada in recent days.
The search history of the terrorists is vital in tracking leads to other members of their cells.
I’ll pose this question to those who think the government boogie man is lurking behind everything. If the FBI thought an armed terrorist was hiding in your backyard would you give him permission to come on your property?
They are hiding in the front AND backyards of the search engines.
As an addendum to the above comment NYTimes today writes concerning the 17 terror suspects arrested in Toronto;
“The Toronto Star reported that in 2004 the intelligence agency {Canadian Security Intelligence Service} began monitoring Internet exchanges, some of which were encrypted.”
Our intelligence agencies must be allowed to use all tools available including clickstreams, emails and entire search histories, IMO.
This is a slippery slope. first its two years then it will become five then possibly a real time feed etc. Aren’t the No Such Agency and Echelon already doing this type of thing? Unless it applies in other countries as well, its hard to see what use it can be except to make US citizens feel that they are living in Soviet russia.
There is a world of difference between doing a search with “Just Cause” and a fishing expedition. It is hard to see this request as anything other than the latter.