Taken from:
NewsScan Daily, 14 May 1999 ("Above The Fold")
************************************************************
NewsScan Daily is a summary of significant information technology news,
written by John Gehl & Suzanne Douglas. It is a FREE service of
NewsScan.com. Visit us at http://www.NewsScan.com/.
************************************************************
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WANTS ISPs TO SPY
The European Parliament last Friday passed the Lawful Interception of
Communications council resolution on new technologies -- known as Enfopol --
which requires Internet service providers and telephone companies to provide
law-enforcement agencies with full-time, real-time access to Internet
transmissions, even those traversing along multiple networks. In addition,
wireless communications providers are required to provide geographical
location information on cell phone users, along with decoding of messages,
if encryption is provided as part of the service. The European Internet
Service Providers' Association has denounced the resolution. "Anyone who's
got half a clue about the Internet can easily see the Enfopol proposals are
unfeasible," says the chairman of U.K. ISP Linx. "The problem is it's a
bunch of law-enforcement people who have cooked this up in a vacuum without
public consultation." He also expressed concerns that the stringent
requirements would prompt Internet users from other countries to route
around Europe, damaging the European telecom industry's revenue. (TechWeb
14 May 99) http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990513S0009
