back to article EU Data retention directive 'flawed, unlawful'

European state powers to retain data about customers’ telecommunications are set to come in for a kicking with the release of an offical report from the European Commission. The report, due out this afternoon, is expected to evaluate and gently prod the Commission towards taking further steps to harmonising existing …

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  1. Sam Liddicott

    We need profiling

    We need better profiling of politicians before the election; to find out their tendencies to oppress and patronise their masters

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Agreed, but...

      ...it is probably just simpler to hang all the bastards as soon as they get into power in the first place. Let's face it, they don't do any good once they are in power!

      1. Ted Treen
        Big Brother

        Yup

        @Sam

        That's a plan...

        @AC

        That's a better plan...

  2. Anomalous Cowturd
    Big Brother

    No, what we need is...

    an end to these "fishing expedition" type laws, and to return to the good old fashioned "interception only with a warrant" signed by a judge.

    If they think somebody is a really bad boy, and have some evidence to show that is the case, what's the problem? And by really bad, I don't mean trying to get your sprog into a better school by telling fibs about where you live.

    R.I.P.A. etc should all be scrapped.

    IMHO. ^-^

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    View over a Decade (or perhaps two)

    My Thumbs down applies to all those who think that indiscriminate data gathering is in anyway acceptable and does not refer to the Article contents!

    Plot in secret eventually get roasted in Public "by the Public"

  4. mark l 2 Silver badge

    criminals know how to get around RIPA

    Organised criminals will simple just use VPNs, SSL encypted web based email accounts based in countries such as Russia or even just pay a few quid a month for a VPS box and set up there own email server, and use pay as you go mobile phones or SKYPE to avoid the RIPA.

    The only people they will 'catch' are the stupid criminals

  5. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Flame

    *not* proportionate.

    I'd love to see some cost/benefit analysis.

    IE How *many* crimes (and shouldn't that be limited to *terrorist* crimes only?) has *all* that data retention actually prevented?

  6. heyrick Silver badge
    Grenade

    Fscking terrorism

    What has gone wrong in our world and our society where all sorts of shit can be piled into the legislature on the pretext of combatting terrorism and we all bleat in tune.

    People fought bloody battles and laid down their lives to enable us to have these freedoms and this degree of privacy that we are squandering without a second of contemplation.

    You know what? Bugger it.

    Bring on the terrorists. I reckon I'd stand a better chance of reasoning with them than getting any sort of satisfactory compromise with the sort of asswipe politicians that think up crap like this, then spin it as good because it is "to combat terrorism". Yeah, right. Pull the other one, it has bells on.

    1. Ted Treen
      Grenade

      @Heyrick

      'Twas ever thus:

      "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

      Benjamin Franklin

      It was true 250 years ago

      It was true 150 years ago

      It was true 50 years ago

      It is true today

      It will STILL be true in 50 years' time

      and it will STILL be being used by whoever the ruling elite is then, to bolster their megalomania...

  7. Pestilence
    WTF?

    Not getting the reasoning

    Early on, I read:

    ...should retain data on telecommunications between their citizens, both as a means to break down barriers to trade ...

    What? How does it break down barriers to trade? Maybe some hacker has more time to grab some private info out of the logs and start trading in it?

  8. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Boffin

    How about *repealing* the directive.

    Has this *ever* been done?

    Just a thought.

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