URLs, IPs and interception

[Peter Fairbrother]

Roland Perry wrote:
> In article <47C9AAFC.2070808@zen.co.uk>, Peter Fairbrother 
> <zenadsl6186@zen.co.uk> writes
>> Ah, I see the ambiguity now.
>>
>> You think "for the purposes of any postal service or telecommunication 
>> system by means of which it is being or may be transmitted" refers to 
>> the traffic data, while I think it refers to the conduct.
> 
> Try the Explanatory Notes:
> 
> 31. Subsection (5) excludes from the definition of interception in 
> subsection (2) any conduct which relates only to the traffic data 
> comprised in or attached to a communication (expanded in subsection 
> (9)), or which relates only to so much of the content of the 
> communication as is necessary in order to identify this traffic data.
> 
> http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/en/ukpgaen_20000023_en_1


Assuming you are correct, are URLs traffic data? I exclude any parts 
after the third slash here.

I don't think so - when the DNS is done the URL is content (the URL is 
neither needed nor used to transmit the DNS messages), and when the 
request is sent to the website only the IP address is needed to transmit 
the message (usually).

Caching might complicate this though.



-- Peter Fairbrother