September 20, 2007

Phone companies to store call data

A new EU directive comes into force in October concerning the retaining and retrieving phone call data. The directive is in place to ensure that there is a unified storage of this type of data across the member states.

At the moment telecom companies store this data which includes date, time, duration and location, for twelve months in the UK, but they will be required to keep this data for anything from six to twenty four months.

What can this data be used for? In the interest of national security; for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime or of preventing disorder; in the interests of the economic well-being of the United Kingdom; public safety; protecting public health; assessing or collecting any tax, duty, levy or other imposition, contribution or charge payable to a government department; and for the purpose, in an emergency, of preventing death or injury. Basically anything they want!

Source [Telecom TV]

Filed Under Security