A new government bill requires ISPs to store their clients’ subscriber information for up to 18 months. The reason for this is that it makes it easier for law enforcement officials to get the information they need for investigations into cases involving child pornography and the exploitation of minors. The bi-partisan bill, introduced on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, aims at protecting children.
Supporters of this bill acknowledge that many ISPs already store their users’ IP addresses for indefinite periods of time. A current law requires that this information be stored securely, to protect the privacy and rights of online service subscribers — but the bill would get stragglers on board with this proposed legislation. The lives of many children have been saved thanks to government officials accessing the IP addresses and browsing records of adults accused in cases of their exploitation.
Some ISPs are set up so that each time a subscriber logs onto the Internet, a new IP address is issued. This can make it difficult to keep accurate records as to what account is logged on during a period of suspicious activity, but it is something that needs to be addressed and carefully monitored by Internet Service Providers. No step is a step too far if the result is the safety of children.
In the future, each person who logs onto the Internet will have a very personal “digital ID” that will tie that individual’s browsing and usage habits to him in a definitive and unmistakable way, so that tracking criminal behavior will be easier for law enforcement officials. Privacy advocates are expected to stand in the way of this idea and others like it. Most people surveyed report that they couldn’t care less if anyone knows where they browse online, because they are not doing anything wrong to begin with. ”Nothing to hide, nothing to fear” seems to be a fitting consensus among the majority. But for people who engage in unlawful or otherwise suspect online behavior, any movement in this direction would be the end of the party, so to speak.
This is all quite controversial subject matter, but nothing we haven’t been through in some form before. Tracking down suspects in child pornography cases has got be given the highest priority, regardless of whining people complaining about their “privacy”, even when dealing with direct tv info. Honestly: if you want privacy — stay off the Internet. No one every promised you it was private. On the contrary, the Internet is a very public place, and anything you do there can be tracked. So use common sense and go around doing things “privately” online that you wouldn’t do if people were looking over your shoulder, then you will be guaranteed to have no problems at all.
The other thing you can do if you are concerned with being falsely blamed for another’s online behavior is to lock down your home wireless network. If you have an open wifi hot spot, anyone within range is going to get one of your IP addresses to use. If that person buys illegal drugs online or interacts with material that is exploitative of children, to authorities, it will appear that you have done so. So lock it down with encryption security and only let people you trust log on.
