Gonzales Wants New Web Rules

Attorney General: ISPs Should Preserve Customer Info To Help Fight Kid Porn

(AP)  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that Congress should require Internet service providers to preserve customer records, asserting that prosecutors need them to fight child pornography.

Testifying to a Senate panel, Gonzales acknowledged the concerns of some company executives who say legislation might be overly intrusive and encroach on customers' privacy rights. But he said the growing threat of child pornography over the Internet was too great.

"This is a problem that requires federal legislation," Gonzales told the Senate Banking Committee. "We need information. Information helps us makes cases."

He called the government's lack of access to customer data the biggest obstacle to deterring child porn.

"We have to find a way for Internet service providers to retain information for a period of time so we can go back with a legal process to get them," he said.

Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller have met with several Internet service providers, including Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, Comcast Corp., Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc.

The law enforcement officials have indicated to the companies they must retain customer records, possibly for two years. The companies have discussed strengthening their retention periods — which currently run the gamut from a few days to about a year — to help avoid legislation.

At Tuesday's hearing, Gonzales said he agreed with the sentiment of 49 state attorneys general who in a June letter to Congress expressed support for a federal law that would require longer retention of customer records.

"We respect civil liberties but we have to harmonize this so we can get more information," he said.

The subject has prompted some alarm among Internet service provider executives and civil liberties groups after the Justice Department took Google to court earlier this year to force it to turn over information on customer searches. Civil liberties groups also have sued Verizon and other telephone companies, alleging they are working with the government to provide information without search warrants on subscriber calling records.

Justice Department officials have said that any proposal would not call for the content of communications to be preserved and would keep the information in the companies' hands. The data could be obtained by the government through a subpoena or other lawful process.

[azazrael]

My problem with this has many levels -

1) My nephew died in Iraq, so I would like to see the government placing its priorities there. I understand that the gov has agents checking out paperwork on ADULT websites. Either there is a war on or not.

2) Is this going to be one of those 'who needs a warrant' things?

3) One point about the net is it's the only place I know where a 200lb male detective can fake a pedophile into ringing a doorbell for a date with a 13 year old. On the evening news frequently.

4) The same info can be used to determine who visited a political website and donated to a candidate. There is absolutely no guarantee who this info would be released to in the future. Even if these guys are honest will the next gang be?

I think the internet spooks the gov politically - a good thing.

[phijef]

While protecting children is an admirable goal, the idea of tracking everyone online is not a good one.

Instead, how about posting faces of these perverts or other identifying marks found in the photos/videos themselves all over the internet in the hopes that someone will recognize the pervert and turn him/her in? How about the ability of ISP's to shutdown sites immediately when disgusting material like this is found? I'm sure there is a myriad of other ways we can fight this without giving the governement more of our information.

[rbird8728]

Protecting children and fighting porography is just the excuse the Gonzales is using. What big brother really wants is a legal excuse to sort through people's e-mail and other transmissions. They like to fancy that they are the 'keeper of the public morals' and will use what ever excuse handy to pursue that goal. Next it will be they're looking for blackmailers, etc. Children are destined to grow up to adulthood (I hope) and it's the parent's job to teach them the adult world and how to avoid the pitfalls designed to entrap the naive. We have far too many childish 'adults' who also feel that they must be 'protected' against the knocks and bangs of the real world.

[postina-2009]

If you really want to know who the child pornographers and molesters really are, watch this video that was supposed to air on the Discovery Channel in 1994 and was subsequently prohibited at http://www.franklincase.org/silence.htm

[annabanana-1]

The last thing we should do now is give Abu Gonzales another avenue to intrude on our privacy. What? All the phone records aren't a big enough pool to fish in?

I wonder how much time they've spent on acutal terrorists, and how much on political adversaries?

[pjw4crcc]

This, of course, has nothing to do with "child pornography". That's merely the stalking horse behind which the neo-fascists are attempting to regulate the use of the internet. If a cyber-stormtrooper can track web searches related to pornography, then he can also track searches related to political opposition. Orwell's "Thought Police" are closer to becoming a reality with every passing day.

[getcentered]

Wow! Congress is on a role! First they pass the HORSE LAW and get move right along to the next ULTRA HIGH priority.....Kiddy Porn, Yea!

I mean come on!!

Where are Gonzales's priorities? Does the number of people making kiddy porn even compare to the number of people making crack cocaine? Or how about "The TERRORISTS".
Maybe this is just another distraction for us all to take in, as our leaders pass another law granting power to the Executive in Chief.

Ohh, I am so tired of the GOP/ Republican/ conservative way of doing things I could just puke. Where are the REAL Republicans?
You know, the ones that can think freely AND listen, and don't just repeat the latest Karl Rove Talking Point Memo (KRTPM)!!!!!!! The ones that my mom used to talk about and vote for?
It seems they have all sold out :( ............. and so now it is time for them to get the boot.

.....but good job Gonzales,
you found us some more "evil doers"!

[wilee812]

Finally an idea,
Thanks,
CATHALEEN

[cathaleen]

I think this monitoring should be done by
the parents,website owners and yahoo
and google, etc. If people just use common sense we wouldn't need the government to be involved.

[wilee812]

AHH!!! YES, THE PARTISAN HATE FLOWETH OVER.
When the Clinton administration proposed a bill like this I am sure that you all were on board and showed your full support. Funny how the two sides hate each other so much when they are so much alike. All it takes is a few well paid celebrities, movie makers and television personalities to sway your thinking. It has become a cult of personalities instead of people with ideas, these postings above prove it. Where are your ideas?

[poppi123456]

If the government has access to all of that information...that's bad, but what if these careless companies have an "information spill" like we have witnessed over and over with Verizon,Ohio University, Veterans Affairs, etc. If someone can steal your identity with that basic information, they could ruin lives with all of that internet data.

This could easily lead to temptation for unlawful search and sesure. Think about just skim the data for red flags and arrest the lot of them. This is the same as kicking in doors and searching random houses, but alot harder for anyone to find out about.

And finaly let's be honest with ourselves. People who exhibit deviant behavior are always going to exist, but does that mean everyone else should lock themselves in a government monitored cage? I would rather have a few sickos out there than imprison myself by giving up more freedom.

For perspective, about 17,000 people die a year from alcohol-related auto accidents or about 40% of all traffic fatalities(this includes about 2000 children). So if this was about really protecting children either someone didn't do their homework or this is a smokescreen for civil-rights theft.

Scared into selling our freedom for some magic beans.

[nothappyatall]

Govt fishing is what it's about under the guise of "protecting children" people are obsessed with this whole porn thing- get real, they are IMAGES, hell- it's even a crime to have SIMULATED child porn- stuff that is totalyl computer generated or drawn- which shows this whole thing is about Govt control and the bible thumpers fear of *** of any kind.

It all comes back to the parents- do your job and kids won't BE molested, or photographed nude by strangers in *** acts.

[aaronspace1]

Go anywhere in the country and we see our prison systems filled with people who break the law. Potsmokers, Johns, Bootleggers, Prostitutes and for what? People have vices, whether its gambling, getting high, ***, alcohol, working out, eating ect. Our government destroy the lives of normal, everyday, people, puts them in lock-up, and teaches them how to become real criminals. While pedophiles, rapists,and the lot get counseling, parole hearings and handouts. I'm from a family of old bootleggers, descent country folk who worked hard, and absolutly despises the FBI, ATF and DEA. These organization have done nothing but made the vices of ***, drugs, and guns more lucridtive, dangerous, and by handing off responsibility to black market profiteers and overseas drug cartels, expensive. Billions upon billions of taxpayers dollars have been dropped into the war on "Sin". Are you safer? No. Are the inner cities cleaner? No. Have people stopped using *** and drugs? No. Police don't need to knock on your door to enter private residence anymore. They don't need a search warrent either. So you might as well let them look at your computers. Hell the NSA is already doing it. So keep it up American, trust your elected officials they do such a good job keeping the underpriveledged and impoverished trash locked up and out of society. If we had legal prostitution, maybe some of these fruits would go get a man or women to fulfill their sick fantasies.

[rharrin1]

If gonzales wants to stop crime he should look at the white house reasons for going to Iraq. The GOP tried to impeach clinton over s-- with one female bush and cheney have been doing the whole country/world.Been waiting to see if GOP goes after them.

[long_rider]

This is just another government smoke screen. They are trying to further erode our constitutional rights (freedom of speech). They already monitor the internet, and the site we are on. This is a classic example of the government not being able to control the American citizens, so they put controls on business.

This administration is a sham. If the democrats get power I hope the majority of Americans push their congressmen and senators to rid our nation of the political blight in the Whitehouse.

[sharncedar]

"How would YOU catch those perverts on line?"

Trying to understand how it is a crime to be on-line, or what crime you an commit while on-line. Is it a crime to be a "pervert" and on-line at the same time? Is that our semi-legal amigo "Gonzoles" intepretion of the law? Probably, in Mexico, it would be illegal to be on-line. Who knows.

If a person is committing a crime, one would expect that would commit it in person, that is, with human bodies involved. Therefore, it would make sense to catch them in person, actually committing a crime, rather than on-line, where they cannot commit an actual crime in the historical sense of crime (which requires some action, at least before our merger with Mexico).

So, our amigo just wants to spy on our emails and activities, like any other "pervert".

[blablap]

If law enforcement is incapable of making a case with the normal credit card & paypal and other payment records, they are inept. They are trying to legislate fishing expidations. Anyone with a brain can see how utterly non-american this is.

[some_clarity]

Re "Doesn't anyone care about the kids?" :

The simple solution has been made illegal by our government (because rather than solutions, they want a pretext to errode civil liberty and seize more power): Legalize "patterns of light", whatever form they might take, so long as they are computer generated... that takes physical entities out of the production process --- including *children* --- and removes motivation for their exploitation.

[gramto7]

I started getting upset about the rights we were losing shortly after the 'Patriot Act' was passed, and it has only gone from bad to worse. I have written to my Congressmen numerous times about various bills that have been before them, but usually feel that they aren't listening. It takes more than just a few people writing to make an impact on them. Get their email addresses from firstgov.gov or whatever other source you might use, and then deluge their offices about any and all problems you have with the way things are going. The more people they hear from, the more they will listen.

[chagasi]

I'm so tired of hearing "Sure they can do it. I have nothing to hide."

I have nothing to hide, either, but I sure as hell don't want the government in my business. They don't need to know. It's MY information. MY life. They need a subpoena to search my house. My property. It should be difficult for them to get information and leaving the information lying around shouldn't make it easier for them.

What happens if one day my Wireless is unsecured, for whatever reason? Or one of my roommates (I'm in college) while I'm asleep, looks at it in their room? How do I prove it's not me just because the account is in my name?

Anyone who thinks this is a good idea needs to move to China and try to use google and see if they like the results. Then come back to AMERICA, where our lives are PRIVATE, and wake up and smell the coffee. The government is already on the slope of a slippery-slope and this is just one more thing to help them down the slope faster.