What do you think about communications data collection and storage?

[Ian Batten]

On 01 May 09, at 1316, Roland Perry wrote:

> In article <43E0E6D8-9451-4DD1-B117-97C76376211E@batten.eu.org>, Ian  
> Batten <igb@batten.eu.org> writes
>> I suspect that if Jacqui Smith (Jaqueboots to her friends) were to  
>> phone up Obama to demand that a US company's communications were  
>> intercepted, once the White House operator had figured out she  
>> wasn't an Amway saleswoman the response would be taken directly  
>> from Arkell vs Pressdram.
>
> Phew! So Echelon doesn't exist after all. And all that fuss about  
> overlapping warrants too :)

I certainly don't believe that Echelon exists to the extent that the  
tin-foil hatted believe, and even if it I don't believe that a  
government would reveal those capabilities against much this side of a  
credible nuclear threat.  It's the eternal balance for the spooks:  
using their capabilities against a threat today risks their losing the  
ability to use it against a threat tomorrow.

>>
>> Does the DPA affect Data in Motion, or just Data at Rest?
>
> Data being processed.

Does that include, say, scanning the mail as part of relaying it?

>
>
>> It's  impossible, in general, to know if the path between two UK  
>> companies  passes through an arbitrary other country.
>
> Indeed, and not enough people have applied their minds to the issues  
> it raises. (Although DavidH may take some comfort that sundry "bods"  
> try to keep data out of the hands of overseas-based CSPs, if perhaps  
> not going as far as enquiring where the traffic is routed).
> -- 
> Roland Perry
>