As expected, the Labor Party has folded in its opposition to the Government’s data retention plan, paving the way for the Government to pass legislation requiring internet providers to store customers’ metadata for two years. From The AFR:
Labor has called for some amendments but largely backed the most controversial parts of the plan – its duration and scope. There is also no firm push to detail exactly how much the government would pay for the plan, which internet service providers have warned could lead to higher service prices.
Under the changes, the definition of metadata will be specified in the Bill to prevent the Minister from granting additions without passing changes through the Parliament.
A list of crime fighting bodies that can access to the metadata will be specified in the legislation and the Attorney-General of the day will no longer have the ability to add agencies to the list without parliamentary approval.
…the Attorney-General can allow its use in civil proceedings at his discretion, which could open the floodgates for copyright holders trying to track down illegal downloads of movies and music.
Chalk this one down as a huge loss for internet users, who will have their privacy impinged whilst picking-up the tab for the $400 million-plus scheme – either via higher internet charges or their taxes.
At least privacy concerns can easily be overcome, albeit at an additional cost ($5 to $10 a month), by utilising a virtual private network (VPN) when surfing the net. No doubt VPN providers will be licking their chops at the prospect of a boom in business from Australians seeking anonymity.
