Senate passes 'lite' data retention laws

Law enforcement agencies will be able to force internet service providers to store data on subscribers under new legislation approved by the Senate on 22 August 2012.

The Cybercrime Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 amends the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 1987, the Criminal Code Act 1995, the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 and the Telecommunications Act 1997.

The changes allow police to force telcos to retain data on persons of interest for a set period while a warrant is sought.

Such data may have been previously jettisoned by ISPs, which generally retain only enough subscriber information for customer service and billing.

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam described the reforms as a targeted, 'lite' version of the Federal Government's proposed data retention laws, and with more oversight.

To read more, click here.

The Caselink feature of our LawOne Service has over 70, 000 links to judgments relating to legislative provisions, making it an essential research tool for legal professionals.