In the news:

“In a move that even the most nonchalant of privacy advocates is crying foul over, the UK has put into effect a European Union directive which mandates the archival of information regarding virtually all internet traffic for the next 12 months. The program formally goes into effect today.In the news:

“The data retention rules require the archival of all email traffic (the identities of the sender and receiver, but not the contents of the messages), records of VOIP telephone calls (traditional phone calls are already monitored), and information about every website visited by any computer user in the country. The rules are being pushed down “across the board to even the smallest company,” as every ISP large or small will be required to collect and store the data. That data will then be accessible — to fight “crime and terrorism,” of course — by “hundreds of public bodies” to investigate whatever crimes they see fit.

Technically the new directive applies to all countries of the EU, but individual nations appear to be complying with the rules to various degrees. Privacy-obsessed Sweden is reportedly ignoring the rule completely, for example….”

More here on the launching of a UK program to archive all email.

My Comment

My opinion of Swedish “socialism” rises by the day.  First, we found out they didn’t nationalize their banks; then they refused to bail out their auto industry; now they’re giving the finger to the latest mind-boggling intrusion into privacy….