Data plan to boost fight against terror

By David Cronin

Date: 15/09/05

The European Commission is to endorse a plan next week to oblige telecommunications companies to store data on all phone calls, faxes and emails within the EU for potential use in terrorist investigations.

The proposal, drawn up jointly by Franco Frattini and Viviane Reding, respectively the commissioners for justice, freedom and security and the information society, has met with approval from all of the institution's departments.

It will be endorsed by the 25 commissioners on Wednesday (21 September).

Under the data retention scheme, telecoms firms would be required to keep details of all fixed and mobile phone calls for one year.

Internet service providers would have to keep details of emails sent and websites consulted for six months.

A source close to Frattini said that a "difficult balance" had been struck between the concerns on the costs facing industry and the needs of law enforcement agencies.

The source described the proposal as "short, concise, clear and powerful".

Charles Clarke, the British home secretary, told last week's informal meeting of EU justice and interior ministers in Newcastle (7-9 September) that retained data was "proving invaluable" to police investigating the 7 July London bombings.

A paper prepared by Britain's EU presidency argued that communications data could be the "golden thread" running through a crime probe, providing information on where a criminal was at a particular time and who he or she had associated with.

But the proposal looks set to receive a barrage of criticism from telecommunications firms, as well as from civil liberties organisations.

European Digital Rights (EDRI), a coalition of privacy organisations, recently rejected UK arguments on storing data for at least a year. EDRI said that telecoms data could already be accessed by law enforcement agencies as phone operators kept details of calls made for several months in order to deal with queries about customers' bills.

Article anticipates the adoption of a proposal for a data retention scheme at a meeting of the European Commission on 21 September 2005. The proposal, drawn up jointly by Franco Frattini and Viviane Reding, respectively the European Commissioners for Justice, Freedom and Security and the Information Society, would oblige telecommunications companies to store data on all phone calls, faxes and emails within the EU for potential use in terrorist investigations.